


The Stillness of the Stage

by brumalbreeze



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Idiots in Love, M/M, Slice of Life, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:21:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24303586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brumalbreeze/pseuds/brumalbreeze
Summary: Culture Day is coming up for Night Raven College, and Class 1-A has to make an important decision about what activity they'd like to do for the cultural festival. While Ace tries to pull the strings behind-the-scenes so he can get away with as little work as possible, he bites off a bit more than he can chew and ends up with the biggest role in their event. Now, not only does he have to juggle more work than he bargained for, he also has to navigate through some feelings hereallydoesn't need right now.(Slow-ish burn DeuAce fic, featuring a lot of high school shenanigans.)
Relationships: Deuce Spade/Ace Trappola
Comments: 47
Kudos: 162





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The "true" title of this fic is 沈静ステージ！ I took out the exclamation point in the English version because... too much yelling.
> 
> ... It feels weird that I actually wrote a proper summary for this story, but nothing from the first chapter was usable as a preview, so I was forced to describe what happens in this fic. ORZ
> 
> Props to [Bianka](https://twitter.com/celintuomi) for proofreading this (and being uncharacteristically not on fire this time).

“As you all know,” Crewel addressed the room and struck his palm with his teaching pointer, “Culture Day for Night Raven College is coming soon, which means you’ll have to start getting ready for the cultural festival—”

Upon hearing the words “cultural festival” put together, the entirety of class 1-A burst into cheers. Every single one of them had been waiting eagerly for this official announcement, and now that it was made, they couldn’t keep their excitement in any longer.

“Silence— _Silence_!” Crewel bellowed over the cacophony of overenthusiastic boys, his silver eyes flashing with the promise of great suffering if they didn’t shut up immediately. The class became deathly still.

“Ahem. As I was saying,” he continued, “you will need to start getting ready, but before that, you must decide on an event or activity you’d like to pursue. With that, if the class president and vice-president could come up and take over, please. I’ll be sitting here, grading your last quizzes in the meantime. If you get too rowdy, I might just _accidentally_ mark a few answers on your papers wrong, so keep it down.”

“That’s straight up extortion,” Ace whispered to his neighbors. “Is he allowed to do that?”

“Dunno,” Yuu replied in an equally quiet voice. “Don’t want to find out either.”

Ace looked to his other side to see if Deuce had any input, but he apparently hadn’t even heard Ace because he was looking so expectantly at the front of the class, where the class president and vice-president were now standing. His eyes sparkled with unbridled joy.

“Ugh,” Ace groaned, already exasperated by how childish Deuce was acting.

“Uh, well, I guess we should start by taking suggestions from the class,” the class president said, nodding to the vice-president behind him, who was holding a piece of chalk in his hand.

“We should do a café!” a voice immediately suggested.

“An outdoors maze!” another shouted.

“A mini theme park!”

“Hey, Yuu, what kind of cultural festivals did you have back in middle school?” Ace asked, completely disinterested in the matters at hand.

“Me?” Yuu tilted their head and hummed. “Well, my cultural festivals were pretty boring, to be honest. We just held a chorus competition every year between all the classes.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. We’d have to start practicing like a month or two in advance before and after school as well as during lunch. It was pretty annoying, to be honest.”

Ace nodded. “I feel.”

“What about you?”

“We just did simple presentations for our parents and stuff. Nothing too special.” He turned to his side. “What about you, Deuce?” He was honestly half-expecting Deuce to still be nodding and humming in agreement to whatever the class was suggesting for their cultural festival, but he was actually looking straight at him and Yuu.

“Uh…” he said, shifting in his seat uncomfortably. “I don’t really remember.”

“What? It’s not as if you graduated middle school ten years ago or anything.” Then, it clicked. Ace grinned impishly. “Ooh. That’s right. You did use to be a full-on delinquent back then, didn’t you? I bet you just skipped all your classes and ducked out from your cultural festival preparations, didn’t you?”

Deuce stared at the desk and muttered something inaudible.

Ace laughed. “Hah! Look at you, acting like a dog caught out in the rain. Whatever, dude, that just means this’ll be the first time the three of us—” Here, Grim stomped his back foot on the table and started yowling in displeasure. “—Sorry, _four_ , of us will be participating in an actual cultural festival.”

“Yeah, yeah!” Grim butted in. “I don’t know what this ‘cultural festival’ thing’s about, but it sounds fun!”

“How the hell have you lived your entire life?” Ace asked. “Like, seriously. How do you not know anything?”

“Heeey,” Yuu interrupted, sensing that a fight was about to break out between them. “Let’s just focus on the voting and stuff for the class activity, okay?”

Grim, whose fur was already bristling at Ace’s insult, growled in displeasure but settled down when he spotted Crewel giving him a look.

Ace likewise deflated when Crewel’s steely gaze slid over to him. Chastised, Ace kept his head down and glanced at what was written on the blackboard. The suggestions the class had come up were pretty common fare among high school cultural festivals: cafés or themed-restaurants, haunted houses, and the like. They weren’t outstandingly creative but then again, Ace shrugged mentally, they were only high schoolers. Even if they came up with the most brilliant idea, it wasn’t as if they would be able to pull it off.

He was excited about the festival, but he didn’t want to expend any more energy than was necessary for the whole affair. The most annoying part was always deciding what they wanted to do, so he was going to clock out until the choices were narrowed down, and they had to vote. Then, he’d find the easiest activity they could get away with that wasn’t a total bore.

“Wake me up in 15 minutes,” he mumbled to Deuce, ignoring the noise of disgruntlement he made. He put his head on his folded arms and closed his eyes.

* * *

Ace hadn’t actually expected to fall asleep in 15 minutes, but before he knew it, someone was shaking him gently on the shoulder and calling his name.

“Ace. Wake up. Ace.”

“Ngh…?” He woke up, disorientated and groggy. “Ah, damn,” he said when he realized where he was. After an enormous yawn, he asked, “Are they done figuring out the class activity yet?”

“No,” he answered. “We’re about to have a five-minute class discussion and then do a vote.”

He groaned and checked out the board. Most of the options had been crossed out, but there were still three left. The first one was “café or restaurant.” Immediately, his lips curled back in disgust. Those were the epitome of “a lot of work.” Definitely not either of those. Next was “DIY science experiment?” Ace was confused by the question mark, but he figured it was probably because the class hadn’t decided exactly what kind of experiment to go with. That option sort of made sense, since Crewel was their homeroom teacher, but it still sounded like a lot of trouble. The last remaining option was “stage play?”

“What’s with all the question marks?” he muttered. He turned to Yuu. “Hey, the stage play option about?”

“Uh, some of us apparently want to make a play from scratch. Like, from the script to props and everything,” Yuu answered.

“Man, what the hell…?” Ace grumbled. That was a ton of work too. Damn. He heaved out a huge sigh. Well, time to put his gilded tongue to work.

He turned around in his seat and raised his voice just loudly enough so the people sitting around him would stop talking and listen. “I think we should go with the play, guys.”

“What? Why? A café is a classic culture fest activity!” one of his classmates protested.

“Yeah, which is exactly why I bet literally half the school will be doing some sort of food-related thing. Besides, standing around all day making food and drinks with no time off to enjoy the rest of the festival? Thanks, but no thanks,” Ace said with a casual shrug.

Ace’s reasoning was sound, and a few voices started to agree with him.

“Okay, fine,” another classmate piped up, “then why not the science experiment? I like that idea.”

“Same thing, but maybe even worse,” Ace said. “First of all, we don’t even have an idea of what we want to do, right? Second, not only do we have to teach people what to make, but we have to clean up after them. All-day babysitting. Wow, how fun.”

“If we follow that reasoning, then won’t putting on a play be a lot of work too? I mean, we’re talking about making an entire performance from scratch, man.”

“I’m not saying you’re wrong,” he said, pointing and winking at the third classmate who spoke up. “But think about it this way… Yeah, we’ll have to suffer until the day of, but once that’s all out of the way, all we gotta do is hold the one performance in the afternoon and that’s it, right? We can roam around the whole day until it’s almost show time, and afterwards, we can enjoy the rest of the festival freely.

“Also, don’t you think it’d be pretty fun to put on a play? I mean, think of it. You might be able to play a really badass character and wear an awesome costume. Everyone’d be jealous of you. Besides, wouldn’t it be cool to make backgrounds and props and stuff?”

Hesitant murmurs of agreement rose from the collected group, and Ace sat back, satisfied.

“I didn’t know you liked plays that much,” Deuce said.

“I don’t,” Ace replied in an undertone. “I’m just hoping they agree so I can take some easy behind-the-scenes role, like the lighting crew or something.”

“You—!” Deuce said angrily. He frowned. “I’m pretty sure you just insulted all the professional lighting crew workers in the world.”

“Anyway,” Ace said, watching as his influence spread throughout the class, “my work here is done.”

It didn’t take long for Ace’s argument to permeate every conversation in the room and, even if not everyone agreed with his reasoning, he was pretty confident that enough of the class would vote with him.

Another five minutes later, and it was time to vote.

“Okay, that’s all the time we have for discussing!” the class president yelled, trying to get everyone’s attention. “Guys! Hey!”

Slowly, the class simmered down until they were quiet again.

“Let’s start voting then. Raise your hand high when I say the activity you want. First, we have a café or restaurant.”

Ace looked around the room. It looked like maybe a third of the class had their hands up. That wasn’t too bad. The play still had a fighting chance.

“Thanks. You can put your hands down now. Next, we have a DIY science experiment… thing.”

This time, only a few hands went up. Ace grinned.

“Last, a stage play.”

Most of the class’s hands went up here, including Deuce’s and Yuu’s. (Grim’s vote was with Yuu, since they were still considered a single student, combined.)

“Alright, seems we’re decided then. Class 1-A will be doing a play for the cultural festival.”

Voices bubbled up from the class again, quickly boiling over into excited chatter.

“Heh. I didn’t know you guys were into plays too.”

“Eh, your reasoning made sense,” Yuu shrugged.

“I’m gonna aim for a main role so everyone can see how awesome I am at acting!” Grim cheered, jumping on the desk happily.

“Uh, yeah,” Ace said, resisting the urge to pat him on the head. “Good luck with that.”

Deuce sat back in his seat with his arms crossed. “It did sound fun, the way you put it.”

“Of course it did,” he said. “I’m never wrong.”

The class president clapped loudly a few times to collect their attentions again. “Now that that’s decided, we should start determining what kind of roles we’ll need. But for now, does anyone want to volunteer to be the scriptwriter? We can’t do anything without a story…”

* * *

In the end, most of their cultural festival talks were put on hold until their scriptwriter was able to work out an outline for their play.

During the wait, the class created three categories for the kind of work they needed people in: acting, backstage, and construction/crafting. They had already informally assigned a few people here and there into respective categories, but until they had a better idea of who their actors would be, most of the designations were still in the air.

After three days, their scriptwriter was finally ready with a rough draft, and the talks were able to move on. The scripts were passed out to everyone, and the room was abuzz with conversation as they all looked over the story and list of necessary characters.

“Huh,” Ace said, flipping through the pages, “I thought they were gonna do a gag comedy or something, but this is like a legit drama and stuff.”

“Hmm…” Yuu furrowed their eyebrows as they skimmed the lines. “This is pretty interesting though. I think I prefer it to a gag play.”

“Agreed,” Ace said. Quietly, he muttered, “A story about a powerful mage who discovers the crystal giving his kingdom energy is actually cursed and takes it away, only to be hunted down by the prince, who he grew up with… It’s nice and dark. I like it.”

“There are even notes on the kind of backgrounds and props that are needed,” Deuce added, checking the back of the last page. “This is really detailed.”

“Yeah. I mean, there are even sample lines for the characters already. Check it out.” Jokingly, Ace stood up with the script held in front of him. He grinned at Yuu, Grim, and Deuce, and cleared his throat.

“This crystal was never meant to belong to the kingdom! You worship it, yet you remain blind to its curse!” He staggered back, reacting to the words on the page. “You… You dare call me the cursed one? After having spent our entire childhood together, you dare to say that about me? Were all those years of ours mere lies…?”

“Hah. Pretty dramatic, huh?” he laughed. He looked up from the script but suddenly realized that the space around him was deathly quiet. Everyone who was within hearing range had their eyes fixed on Ace.

“Uh…? Why are you all staring at me?”

“Yo, what the hell, Trappola?! That was really friggin’ good!” someone finally exclaimed, disrupting the sudden silence.

“Huh?”

“Did you do acting when you were younger or something?”

“Dude, you should try out for the lead role!”

“Wh-Whoa, guys… I was just messing around,” he said, holding his hands up defensively. Things were taking a turn for the worse, and he was not liking it.

“Ace,” Deuce suddenly stood up from his seat and grabbed Ace’s shoulders, “you should audition for the main role.”

“What the hell, man! You know I’m aiming to be part of the lighting crew!”

“But it’d be such a waste if you didn’t star in our play!” Yuu added, nodding furiously at Deuce’s declaration.

On the table, Grim folded his paws across his chest and grumbled, “I don’t like having to admit this, but that wasn’t half-bad.”

“Hey, Class Prez! Ace wants to audition for the main role!” one of the boys who had listened to Ace’s mock reading waved wildly to the front of the room and yelled.

Immediately, Ace went over to him and tried to pull his arm down. “Dude, can you _not_?!”

“What? Trappola does?” the class president said, looking in their direction. “I mean, I didn’t plan to hold auditions today, but if he wants to.”

“I don’t!” Ace hollered back, but a group of people was already pushing him to the front of the class. He glared at Yuu and Deuce, who didn’t do anything to stop the others and only sent him on his way with a quick “Good luck!”

“Does anyone have objections with Trappola auditioning right now?” the class president asked the room.

Ace stumbled forward with one last push from his classmates and gritted his teeth. “I’d like to object on the grounds that _I don’t want to audition_!”

The class president tsked at him. “Don’t go changing your mind every two seconds and commit. You’re here already, so the floor’s all yours. Go ahead.”

He ran his hand down his face in frustration. His day was going from bad to worse very quickly. “Fine!” he said, “I’ll do this if it’ll get you all to shut up.” Angrily, he stomped to the middle of the classroom and read over the script in front of him.

Ace took a second to compose himself. If he was going to be forced to audition, he might as well do his best. His pride was on the line, after all. The entire room was still as they waited for him to start, and Ace nearly cracked under the gazes of all his classmates. He took a steadying breath.

“The king sent you here?” he asked in a low tone that held the same allure and danger of a low fire. “And you just listened to him, Finrel? Without asking why?” Ace snarled and flung his right hand back. “Of course I would have my stave at the ready! Did you really think I would stand here and let you cut me down without a fight? I’ve sparred with you enough times to know what you can do with a drawn sword, and I’m no fool.” He let his voice fall to a whisper and crack. “I never wanted things to turn out this way. I’m sorry.”

Upon letting the last line linger in the air for a second, Ace broke character and dropped his arms to his side. “That good enough?” He was met with the same stunned silence he experienced minutes ago, except this time, it was the entire class ogling at him. It was quiet enough for him to hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. The intensity of the gazes pinned on him made him feel self-conscious.

Suddenly, the class started clapping and whooping.

“That was amazing!”

“Dude, I was thinking about trying for the main role, but just friggin’ take it, man!”

“I’ll fight anyone who tries to audition for his role!”

“Hey, can you guys calm down or something?” Ace said, feeling his face and body grow hot. It felt nice to be praised, but this was way too much. He didn’t think he was _that_ good.

The class president walked up to him, clapped him on the shoulder, and smiled. “Congrats. Seems like you’re our lead actor then.”

“Uh… Thanks.”

Ace looked out to the class, who continued chattering excitedly among themselves about Ace’s performance. They looked even more pumped up about the whole ordeal now. He caught sight of Yuu, Grim, and Deuce, who were sitting at their desks. All three of them were smiling at him and giving him firm thumbs ups. He returned the gesture uncertainly, still not sure how to feel about the whole thing. At the moment, it was mostly exasperated and despaired with a touch of embarrassed pride.

Damn, he thought. So much for copping out of the whole thing and taking a backseat role as behind-the-scenes staff. He had really dug a deep grave for himself to dive into this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much in the same way Ace thought making the class do a stage performance was a good idea and ended up playing himself, I, too, played myself because, guess what? Now I have to think of TWO stories for ONE fic. GG, brumal. Brilliant work. You're so smart.
> 
> Anyway, despite having knowledge of how Japanese cultural festivals work (for middle and high school), I decided to throw most of that knowledge out the window in the name of artistic license and ease of writing, so yeah. Accurate? Nah. Entertaining? I sure hope so.
> 
> I'll be on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/algidwind), whether or not you need me, so ciao.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to [Bianka](https://twitter.com/celintuomi) for proofreading.

“Uuugh,” Ace groaned into the table in despair. When he didn’t get any condolences, he groaned again. “Ugh.”

“You can make all the noise you want, Ace. We’re not going to comfort you,” Yuu said aloofly as they flipped through the pages of their textbook. Next to them, Grim nodded absentmindedly and glanced between the book and their worksheets.

Ace, Deuce, Yuu, and Grim were currently hanging out in the Heartslabyul lounge, doing homework. Or rather, everyone except Ace was doing their homework.

Ace let his head loll to the side, and he glared at Yuu with one eye. “You all suck.”

“You did this to yourself,” Yuu said with a wholly unapologetic smile.

“Besides, it’s cool that you can be the main character in the play,” Deuce added, his eyes sparkling with a childish joy so pure and bright, it was hard to look directly at him. “You can be the grand hero!”

“But I don’t _want_ to be the main character,” Ace whined and turned his face back onto his crossed arms.

After Ace was unanimously voted in to be the lead actor for their play, a few more impromptu auditions were held, and most of their major roles were filled, leaving the rest of the class free to be added into the remaining two categories of work.

Yuu had been almost immediately shuffled into the costuming team after they mentioned they were halfway decent at making clothes (“Excellent! You’re hired!” “Do I get paid?” “In gratitude!”), since they sometimes helped their mother with sewing. How helpful Grim would be in all that was still up in the air, but costume design was probably the most fitting position for him anyway, since he couldn’t lift heavy items or operate any kind of machinery.

And, although Deuce insisted he couldn’t do anything complicated, he apparently knew how to do simple construction because he was the only one his mother could depend on to do household repairs and such. He was promptly thrown into the set and prop making team.

Honestly, Ace was jealous that they were able to get backstage roles. He sighed in despair.

“Aww, what’s wrong, Ace-chan? You look like you’re trying to become one with that poor table,” an airy voice floated over to them.

Ace sat up when he recognized the voice. He looked over to the entrance of the lounge and saw Cater walking over. Riddle and Trey followed behind him.

“Cater-senpai!” he fake-cried to Cater. If Deuce, Yuu, and Grim weren’t going to comfort him, he’ll fish for pity elsewhere. “Listen to this! Our class is putting on a play for the cultural festival, right?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“We were going over the script today, so I decided to mess around and read a few lines from it and…” He sighed deeply, “Well, anyway, long story short, I have to play the lead…”

“Oooh, that sounds awesome though, Ace-chan! Why are you so down about it? I know at least one or two people who would commit minor crimes to get a lead role in a school play!” Cater smiled at him and looped his wavy hair around his fingers.

“But it’s going to be so much _work_ ,” Ace said, clutching his head in his hands. “I just wanted to get some backstage position…”

“Oof, I feel, but there, there, Ace-chan,” he said and patted Ace’s head gently. “You know what they say! Real stars shine even in the darkest of nights! Or, uh, something like that. Right?” Cater looked over his shoulder for aid from Trey and Riddle, but both of them shrugged, apparently unfamiliar with the idiom he just pulled out of thin air. “Anyway, cheer up! This is a great chance for you to show off, so just do your best!”

“Thanks, I think,” Ace said, not entirely convinced. “Speaking of which, what’s your class going to do, Cater-senpai? I don’t think I ever asked.”

“Excellent question!” Cater said, giving him a cheeky peace sign. “We’re doing a haunted house! With Idia-kun on our side, I bet we can get some real cool special effects going on! Or, I mean, just having him stand in a corner would probably give off haunted vibes already, TBH.”

“Don’t be mean, Cater,” Trey sighed, looking resignedly at Cater.

“Jussayin’!”

“A haunted house…” Deuce said, leaning forward excitedly. “That sounds so cool!”

“You betcha! It’ll be a bit tough getting good pics of it, since the whole room will be so dark, but I’m gonna do my best for my Magicam followers!” Cater winked at Deuce.

“Speaking of which, what are your classes doing, Trey-senpai and Riddle-senpai?”

“Oh, we’re going to be holding—”

Before Trey could finish speaking, Cater threw an arm around his shoulder and butted in. “A bake sale! It’s basically a guarantee that whatever class Trey-kun’s in will do that, since it doesn’t make sense not to put his baking skills to use.”

“Haha, well, yeah.” Trey said, looking somewhat apologetic. “I don’t mind doing it, but I hope my classmates feel the same. I’m sure there are at least a few of them who would rather do something else.”

“Psh,” Cater said dismissively. “Considering how much money your classes always rake in with sales, I don’t think anyone would have that many complaints. It’s straight-up not fair how much profit you guys make. Boo-hoo-hoo…” He sniffled and dabbed the corners of his eyes with his sleeve for dramatic effect.

“Trey’s classroom is always a warzone during Culture Day,” Riddle said, after standing quietly by the conversation the entire time. “Everything sells out within the first two hours every year.”

“Gah, for real?” Ace recoiled in shock. Trey was good at baking, but damn, that sounded wild. He was positive the battle to buy Trey’s pastries during the festival would be even more intense than the struggle they had to go through whenever that one well-known bakery sold their goods in the cafeteria. Ace suddenly realized how blessed he was to share the same dorm as Trey and get to eat his freshly-baked treats all the time.

“We’ll try to steer clear of that area in the morning then,” Yuu said, smiling helplessly. “Oh, but what’s your class activity going to be, Riddle-senpai?”

“We’ll be doing an outdoors maze that you can’t advance through without answering simple quizzes at designated spots,” he answered, puffing his chest out proudly.

“Oh, that, uh,” Yuu said, glancing at Ace, Deuce, and Grim, “sounds really educational!”

“Hmph,” Riddle said, crossing his arms, “of course it is. We’re designing it to challenge participants’ mental and physical abilities. In any case,” he went on, “I’m glad to see that all of you are still doing your homework diligently. Don’t you dare slack off in classwork simply because of your preparations for the cultural festival. Am I understood?”

“Yes, sir!” the four of them responded, despite Yuu and Grim not being residents of Heartslabyul.

“Very well. We’ll be taking our leave then,” he said and nodded to them. He walked off, not checking if Cater and Trey were following him.

“Hang in there, guys!” Cater said cheerfully before chasing after Riddle.

Trey likewise waved at them and left and with a smile.

“I’m not sure how to say this,” Ace said once the three of them were gone, “but their class events are like, eerily fitting for all of them, don’t you think?”

Yuu nodded. “Yeah…”

“Also, Riddle-senpai’s class activity sounds like a new form of cruel and unusual punishment,” he grinned.

“Shut up before he hears and beheads you,” Yuu snickered.

Across the table from him, Deuce stood his textbook up to hide his smirk.

* * *

“Okay, does everyone have their script?”

It was after school, and class 1-A was preparing for their performance. In the front of the room was the acting team. They had dragged their chairs over and formed a semi-circle around the director of their play, who also happened to be the scriptwriter. Low murmuring and the sound of rustling pages rose from their group.

“I made a few final changes to the script, so you might want to look over your lines to check if anything’s different.”

Ace frowned as he flipped through the pages of his new script. He sighed silently and scanned the dialogue. Even though practice had just begun, his mind was already wandering. His eyes drifted to the back of the room, where the construction/crafting team was gathered. It looked like they had split further into their sub-teams.

He quickly spotted Yuu, who was comparing two fabrics and talking to a fellow costuming member. The tables around the two of them were covered with rough sketches, probably of the outfits they needed to make. Honestly, Ace had just expected the costuming team to alter some t-shirts and call it a day, but they were unexpectedly invested in the whole costume making thing. In fact, Yuu had already told him they wanted to take his measurements after practice so they could get started on his costume. Apparently, Deuce wasn’t the only one who took things way too seriously.

Speaking of Deuce… Ace slid his eyes over to the other corner of the room, where the construction team was hanging out. Deuce was standing in the middle of a small group, busily explaining the way to use different power tools. Ace was surprised they managed to borrow so many pieces of equipment, but he was even more shocked by the fact that Deuce appeared to know how to use all of them. It wasn’t as if Ace didn’t know how to use any power tools, but Deuce handled them with an obvious ease and familiarity that made Ace more jealous than he liked to admit. Well, at least Deuce had that going for him, since he was absolutely hopeless when it came to studying.

Ace laughed through his nose and turned his focus back to his own task at hand. If he got caught spacing out, he’d probably get yelled at, and he was not about that life. It sucked enough to have the most work on stage. He didn’t need people breathing down his neck while he languished through everything.

* * *

“68 centimeters from shoulder to wrist,” Yuu said to Deuce, who was standing by with a notebook and his magical pen at the ready. He scribbled the number down and nodded solemnly.

“So, uh,” Ace asked he held his arms out, “what kind of costume am I getting?”

“Sorry, I’m going to go around your chest now,” Yuu said before reaching behind Ace. “A hooded robe, similar to our ceremonial robes. You can wear your usual uniform shirt and pants for it though,” they finally answered. They muttered something under their breath and checked the numbers on the tape measure. “80 centi… Hm, you know what? Put it down as 84 centimeters for the bust measurement.”

“Okay,” Deuce said, crossing something out and rewriting it.

“Speaking of which, could you bring your robes down for me later, so I can use them for reference?”

“Sure?” He tried not to squirm in ticklishness. Thankfully, Yuu released the tape measure and moved away from him before it got too bad.

“Deuce, can you come here and help me hold this end of the tape measure?”

“Okay,” Deuce replied, stepping forward immediately.

Yuu placed one end of the measure against Ace’s shoulder. “Just keep it here for me.”

Although there must have been at least 20 different ways Deuce could have held the tape measure, he chose to slap his hand against Ace’s shoulder and grip it. The warmth from his palm seeped quickly through Ace’s shirt. The way Deuce’s gaze bore into his own, Ace was half-expecting him to solemnly say, “Son,” and drop some knowledge on him but instead of that, he just stood there with a stern expression.

“Um,” Ace cocked an eyebrow up, “do we have to do this weird stare-off thing?”

“What?” Yuu, who had knelt down and was trying to get Ace’s shoulder-to-ankle measurement, looked up. They appeared equally perplexed and exasperated as they peered at Ace and Deuce. “What are you two doing?”

Ace glanced down and huffed. “ _I’m_ just standing here like a good model! Deuce is the one who’s being weird!”

“I’m not being weird!” Deuce argued back, frowning deeply. “Yuu told me to hold the tape measure, so I am!”

“Yeah, but you don’t have to stand right the hell in front of me and challenge me to a stare-down!” Annoyance rose in Ace, and heat started prickling up his neck.

“How else was I supposed to hold it, then?”

“I don’t know,” Ace snapped, his voice growing louder, “like a normal person who’s not trying to start a fight?” He snarled when Deuce tightened his grip, and his fingers dug into his shoulders. Damn, he always forgot how strong Deuce could be.

“You—!”

“150 centimeters!” Yuu yelled at the same time as they stood up, put their hands on Ace and Deuce’s chests, and pushed them apart. “God, I was literally right here, and it didn’t even take 10 seconds for you two to start fighting!”

“He started it!” both Ace and Deuce said at the same time.

Yuu put a hand against their forehead and sighed wearily.

“Grow up already, you two! I can’t believe what a pair of troublemakers you are,” Grim said unhelpfully from the chair he was lounging in. He had just been sitting there the whole time, watching them fall apart.

Ace, Deuce, and Yuu spun around and glared at him.

“Shut up, hairball!”

“Stay out of this!”

“You’re one to speak!”

Grim stuck his tongue out at them and ran out the lounge, cackling.

* * *

It was late, and Ace needed to brush his teeth.

He was a little surprised to see that the lights in the dorm’s sink area were still on when he walked out into the hallway. It sounded like someone was rummaging for something in there. When he shuffled into the semi-open room, he saw that the cabinet door was open. Noticing his arrival, the person behind the door—Deuce—poked his head out from behind the cabinet, and their eyes met.

Ugh, of course it would be Deuce. Since he was still a little pissed over the petty argument they had the day before, Ace’s mood immediately took a dip.

Deuce seemed equally displeased and scowled at him. He stuck his head back into the cabinet and ignored him.

Two can play at that game, Ace thought. Without saying anything, he walked past Deuce and set his cup, toothbrush, and toothpaste on the ledge in front of the mirror.

“Dammit, where do they keep them…?” Deuce grumbled under his breath. Ace could hear him moving things around and growing increasingly frustrated. Then, suddenly, he let out a yell, and a bunch of boxes tumbled out from the supply cabinet and onto the floor.

Annoyed, Ace sighed loudly and walked back to the cabinet. “What the hell are you doing, idiot?” He crouched down with Deuce and helped pick up several of the fallen boxes. When he stood, he asked, “What’re you looking for?”

“…Bandages,” Deuce answered begrudgingly.

“Bandages?” Ace paused and looked at him. He didn’t look like he was injured. Then, his gaze dropped to Deuce’s right hand. There was a mid-sized gash right above the webbing between his index finger and thumb. He winced. That looked like a pretty bad cut. “The hell happened to you?”

“Hand slipped,” he muttered.

“Huh,” Ace said, mostly disinterested. He started shelving the boxes he retrieved. “During fest prep?” He took the remaining boxes Deuce was holding and put them back in the right spots.

“Yeah.” Realizing that he was getting in the way, Deuce stepped back and let Ace have full access to the supply cabinet.

“Bandages and stuff are down here,” Ace said, grabbing a small first-aid kit from the center shelf.

Deuce blinked at him. “Oh. Thanks.”

He reached out for the box, bewilderment written on his face. Ace knew it wasn’t often that he was nice to Deuce, but this was way too much. He might as well have offered him an ingot of gold or something.

“Never mind,” Ace sighed and gestured for Deuce to follow him. “I’ll help you put them on. I bet you’ll mess up and end up wasting bandages if you tried doing it on your own.” He kicked the cabinet door closed and walked out to the lounge.

“O-Okay,” Deuce said hesitantly but still trailed after him.

Ace dropped down on a chair and popped the lid of the first-aid kit open. Deuce finally joined him at the table after Ace was done taking everything out. He was halfway through smearing some antibiotic ointment on a cotton ball when Deuce took a seat.

“Nn.” He held out his hand once Deuce sat down. Deuce looked at him suspiciously but eventually relented, putting his right hand into Ace’s left.

He looked at the cut. “Gross,” Ace said without any heat in his voice. It looked like it had been cleaned already, so at least there was that. Judging from the soft pink edges of the raw cut, Ace could only assume Deuce had removed his previous bandages to shower, which was why he needed new ones in the first place. He dabbed some ointment on the wound with the cotton ball. Deuce was a bit tense, so he worked quickly and lightly, as not to cause any unnecessary pain.

Carefully, he covered the cut and ointment with a square of clean gauze and reached out for the stretch bandages on the table. Ace moved deftly and unrolled the stretchy material around Deuce’s hand. His fingers brushed up against the calloused surface of Deuce’s palm, and he his lips tightened.

He never really bothered to look at Deuce’s hands, but now that he was, he could tell they were ever-so-slightly bigger than his. It was frustrating to know that, despite the fact that he was on the basketball team and used his hands literally every day, Deuce’s hands were still rougher than his.

When he turned Deuce’s hand over to wrap gauze around the back of it, he could see a number of faint, white scars scattered across his knuckles. It was times like this when Ace would be reminded of Deuce’s darker-than-expected history. Then again, considering how stupid Deuce acted every day, it wasn’t too surprising that he never remembered.

After another loop or two of the material, Ace deftly cut off the end, tore off a piece of tape from the roll on the table with one hand, and taped the stretch gauze down. “There,” he said. “How’s it feel?”

Deuce opened and closed his hand a few times experimentally and nodded. “It’s good. Thanks.” He didn’t say any more but merely continued to stare at his bandaged hand.

Unable to stand the awkward silence, Ace said, “What? Something wrong with the way I taped you up?”

“Ah…” Deuce’s gaze lifted up from his hand to Ace’s eyes. He looked soft and wistful. “No, it’s just… This kind of reminds me of the way Mom would patch me up.”

“Oh?” Ace said, feeling oddly embarrassed. He played it off by grinning. “Don’t get all homesick and sentimental on me now. I don’t want to see you cry.”

Deuce’s face turned red immediately. “I-I’m not going to cry!”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, tossing the used cotton ball into a nearby trashcan and putting the supplies back into the first aid kit. “Anyway, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It… It is,” Deuce said quietly, gazing at his hand again. He rubbed his left thumb across his palm thoughtfully. “Thanks,” he said again in a gentle voice.

Awkwardly, Ace muttered, “… You’re welcome.” It was at this moment that he realized how much he preferred it when they were trying to punch each other’s teeth out. This calm, quiet atmosphere between them made his skin crawl. He cleared his throat. “Anyway, be more careful from now on.” He snapped the lid of the first-aid kit shut and stood up.

“Yeah,” Deuce said, “I will.”

Ace left the lounge and Deuce without another word.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to [Bianka](https://twitter.com/celintuomi) for proofreading.

“Wait, it’s hard to see your face from there, so can you take a few steps forward?”

“Here good?”

“Yeah, that’s better, thanks.”

Ace sighed and struck his palm with his rolled-up script. Today, 1-A had managed to book a timeslot for the gym and was using the stage for blocking rehearsal. They had just finished a major scene he was in, and there was a lot of time before he would have to make another appearance, which was why he was just sitting around, bored.

He had already grown tired of watching the lighting crew running around the raised walkways in the gym and testing out the lights ages ago. And, unfortunately for him, Yuu and Grim weren’t around for him to harass. It was too much trouble for the costuming team to bring their sewing machine and materials to the gym, so they were still back in the classroom. As a result, Ace was all alone and bored out of his mind. Theoretically, he could be going over his lines again, but he didn’t feel like it.

Instead of being productive, he glanced outside the open gym doors to see what was going on. The sound of sawing, hammering, and buzzing floated inside in loud and sporadic bursts.

Ace stood up. “Hey, I’m gonna go outside for a sec,” he said to one of his classmates, who was sitting nearby. He barely waited for his sign of acknowledgement before Ace strolled off.

Compared to the shaded interior of the gym, it was almost blindingly bright outside. It took him a second or two to adjust to the light, but once he did, he started scanning the grounds. Most of 1-A’s construction crew was working under the shade of the trees which grew near the gym. Some of them were sawing plywood, others painting pieces, and still others hammering things together. It looked like chaos, and Ace really hoped they knew what they were doing, because he sure didn’t.

His eyes caught sight of a familiar form. He stretched his arms up. His shoulders and back cracked and, after dropping his arms back down, he started strolling toward the trees.

“Spade, do you have the hole saw bits with you?”

At the sound of his name, Deuce stopped drilling into the piece of wood he was working on and looked up at his classmate. “Yeah, they’re by that tree. All of them should be in the kit, but can you check first?”

“Sure. Thanks.”

As he finished speaking to the other boy, Deuce noticed Ace approaching him and stood up straight.

“Yo,” Ace waggled the script in his hand a few times in greeting.

“What are you doing out here? I thought you guys were practicing.”

“Yeah,” he said offhandedly and stared at the flat piece of plywood Deuce had balanced between and clamped to two makeshift worktables, “but my part’s not coming up for a while, so I’m bored. What’s this thing?”

Deuce put down the drill he was holding and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his arm. Then, he pushed his safety goggles up so they wouldn’t be in the way. “One of our background pieces.”

“Wow, you guys are really going all out.”

“Just for the larger pieces. Most of our stuff’s going to be made from cardboard. See?” He pointed at a group working a little distance away from them. All the boys gathered in that area were cutting, folding, and taping together pieces of cardboard.

“Huh.” He turned his gaze back to the unfinished flat. “So what’re you doing now?”

“Making pilot holes,” Deuce answered easily. “The wood pieces we got are kind of cheap, and we don’t want them to split when we’re drilling them together.”

“Someone knows a lot,” Ace teased. Tired of standing around, he went over to the nearest tree and sat down by its roots. Deuce hesitated for a second before joining him. He honestly had no idea what Deuce was talking about, but it was better than standing around without saying anything, so he continued asking questions. “Have you built theater sets before or something?”

“No,” he said. He looked around, grabbed his water bottle from where he left it on the ground, and took a drink from it. “I had to look up a bunch of stuff when Mom said she wanted me to help her make a vertical garden stand.”

“Sounds complicated.”

Deuce put his bottle away. “Not really.”

A short silence sat between them.

“Got pictures of it or something?”

“Oh,” Deuce said, digging into his gym pants for his phone. “Yeah, hang on.”

While he waited, Ace traced his thumb over the edge of his script. The corners of the pages flipped as he went over them. The sound of construction and voices burbled pleasantly in the background as Ace gazed around them.

“Here,” Deuce said, moving a bit closer to him and holding his phone out.

Ace peered at the screen and hummed. The picture on Deuce’s phone showed a wooden structure that resembled an open ladder with shelves on the rungs. Containers of overflowing leaves and flowers decorated them whimsically. The stand looked a bit lopsided, but it was still better than anything he could have made. Besides, Deuce probably made it by himself. “That looks pretty legit.”

“Heh. Right?” Deuce took his phone back and swiped idly through his photo gallery, a wide smile on his face. “Mom really liked it too.”

Ace snorted silently. It took way too little to make Deuce happy. He was so straightforward in his thinking that it probably never occurred to him that Ace could be lying. Well, he wasn’t. This time, at least.

“Hey, remember when I told you about Magical Wheels before?”

“Unfortunately.”

Deuce continued on, either because he didn’t hear Ace or because he chose to completely ignore his snarky answer. “I don’t think I’ve ever shown you my ride. Here, look.” He pushed his phone between them again.

Since it was right there in front of him, Ace glanced down at the picture. From the screen, Deuce grinned at him with a helmet tucked under his arm. Behind him was a sleek-looking motorcycle. Ace didn’t know much about Magical Wheels, but he had to admit that it did look pretty cool. The body of it was dark and shiny and, although it probably wasn’t the newest model or anything, Deuce was clearly very proud of it. He idly wondered who took the picture for him. One of his delinquent friends? His mother?

“Check this out,” Deuce said, zooming into the picture and dragging it to a certain spot. “See these spades on the body? I added those on myself.” His voice held the giddy quality of someone who was about to burst from excitement. “You can’t really see it from this, but I also did some modifications on the…”

Ace was now officially lost. Since Deuce’s switch had gone off, there was no way for Ace to keep up with the jargon that he was rattling off as if he was talking about the weather. To be vaguely polite, he continued to make noises of acknowledgement and occasionally throw in the interested, “Oh, really?” but it didn’t seem to matter whether or not he was listening, because Deuce was doing a great job keeping the conversation going by himself.

But, well, this wasn’t too bad. At least compared to when they were fighting. For starters, he didn’t feel like his blood pressure was rising over something stupid Deuce said, so that was a plus. And this was a lot better than sitting in the gym, staring off into space.

“…ppola! Ace Trappola! Dammit, where’d he go?”

Ace snapped out of his daydreaming when he recognized his name being called. His focus immediately snapped to the door of the gym. The director was standing there, hands shielding his eyes from the sun as he scanned the grounds.

“Shoot,” Ace said, standing up and brushing off the back of his pants. “Busted. I gotta go, but good luck with the background wall thing. And, uh, thanks for showing me pictures of stuff, I guess.”

Deuce looked up from the ground, confusion on his face. He was still in the middle of enthusiastically explaining something about magical converters and their efficacy, so he hadn’t quite realized what was going on. “Oh, yeah. No prob. Have fun in there.”

Ace threw his hand up in a brief wave over his shoulder and started jogging back to the gym. Hopefully, he wouldn’t get in too much trouble.

* * *

“I mean, we _wanted_ to say something, but—” Cater stopped to catch his breath and wiped his eyes before continuing his story. “He just left the room after that, so we couldn’t!”

Around him sat Riddle, Ace, Deuce, Yuu, and Grim, and most of them were wheezing in laughter.

“I-Is that seriously what happened?” Ace asked after he managed to speak.

Cater, who was now laughing so hard he wasn’t making any noise, nodded furiously at his question.

“That’s terrible,” Riddle said, his face pink with the effort not to burst out giggling. He gnawed at his lower lip uselessly, as if that would keep the others from telling he was smiling. “You should have tried to stop him before he got too f-far.” Finally, he broke down and accidentally snorted in laughter.

The entire table went silent for two seconds.

And then they all exploded into laughter again.

Riddle immediately flushed a brilliant red and put his face in his hands.

“Don’t worry, Rosehearts-senpai,” Deuce said with a very serious (but cracking) expression. “We didn’t hear anything. We’re only laughing at Diamond-senpai’s story.”

“You stay quiet, Deuce,” Riddle mumbled under his breath.

“Yes, sir!”

Ace turned around in his chair, so he was facing Deuce. He rubbed the tears from the corners of his eyes and caught Deuce’s gaze. After checking that Riddle wasn’t paying attention to them, Deuce’s solemn face broke out into a smile too, and the two of them giggled uncontrollably. Ace’s face and body felt hot from laughing so much, but it was a comfortable and fuzzy warmness.

“What’s all this ruckus about?” Trey asked with a smile as he approached the table. He had two plates balanced in his hands. “I could hear you guys laughing from the kitchen.”

Cater let out a long, content sigh and rubbed his face, since his muscles had started cramping. “I was just telling them the story of what happened in class today when Riddle-kun—”

Riddle gave him a look from behind his fingertips.

“—decided he wanted to eat cookies!” Cater changed his sentence halfway and stood up from his seat. He swept one of the plates from Trey’s hands and set it on the table. “And what great timing you have, Trey-kun!”

“Uh-huh,” Trey said, clearly not convinced but smart enough not to ask what actually happened. “I’m glad, then.”

“So whatcha got for us today?” Cater asked, already taking his phone out for photos. “They look super cute!”

“Thumbprint cookies,” he answered, putting the other plate down with a proud smile on his face. “I made three types. Over here we have some with strawberry jam. These ones have cherry jam. And these ones are filled with custard. They’re less sweet than the others, so you can have them, Cater.”

“Aw!” Cater said, grinning. “Look at you, being all thoughtful about our tastes and stuff!”

“Of course. I am using you guys as my guinea pigs, after all,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Ooh, someone’s being straight-forward today!” Cater nudged Trey on the arm with his elbow.

Ace leaned forward. “Cater-senpai, hurry up with those pictures so we can eat already!”

“Tsk,” Riddle said, swatting Grim’s greedy paw from the plate in front of him. “Exercise some patience, Grim. You too, Ace.” He frowned as he gazed at the plates of glistening sweets. “But you _should_ hurry with your pictures, Cater. It would be a shame if they got cold before we ate them.”

Ace snickered behind his hand. He wasn’t sure if Riddle thought he was fooling anyone, but it was pretty fun watching him pretend not to want to eat the cookies immediately.

Cater stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth as he squinted at his phone screen and tried to get the best angle of the plates for his Magicam. After a few shots, he straightened up, put his phone back into his pocket, and stole one of the custard-centered cookies from the plate. “First dibs!” he announced and took a bite of the treat. “Mmn,” he hummed as he munched on the cookie. “Still kinda sweet, but not bad! Cate-kun approves of them!”

The second Cater grabbed a cookie, Ace reached past Yuu and snagged the corner of the nearer plate to them. He dragged it in front of him with a cackle. On the plate sat the three varieties of cookies, each one filled with glittering centers that resembled gemstones.

He plucked one of the ones with cherry jam and sank his teeth into it. Immediately, the buttery cookie crumbled beneath his teeth and softened on his tongue. It had a bit of a taffy-like chewiness and stuck to his teeth as he ate it, but it was nice. Better yet was the sweet tartness of cherry jam that spread across his tongue when he crushed the cookie against the roof of his mouth. He went boneless as his soul temporarily ascended from his body.

“Cloffer-shenpai,” Deuce mumbled through a mouthful of cookie, practically crawling over Ace in his attempt to get closer to the head of the table, where Trey was standing. “This ish really good.”

“He’s right,” Yuu added, wiping crumbs from the corners of their mouth. “These are delicious.” Grim cheered loudly as he held a cookie in both his paws and danced on the table.

“You’re planning to sell these at your class’s bake sale, right?” Riddle asked. He covered his mouth with one hand while reaching for another strawberry jam cookie.

“Yep. I was wondering if we should sell them in bags of mixed flavors or as just one flavor. What do you all think?”

“Oh, that’s a tough one,” Cater said, resting his chin in both his palms and humming.

Ace swallowed the rest of his cookie and bit into a custard-filled one. “I say you should sell them in mixed bags. That way people can try all of them at once.”

“Agreed,” Riddle nodded, dabbing his mouth with his handkerchief. “In a calmer setting, it would be nice to let people mix-and-match their own selection, but I suppose that would be impossible in this case.”

“Hmm, you guys think so too? Alright, I’ll go with that, then,” Trey nodded with a hand on his chin. “How’s the taste and texture of the cookies, by the way? Not too dry? Sweet?”

“They’re _perfect_ ,” Ace gushed, already on his nth cookie. Behind him, Deuce nodded enthusiastically.

Trey laughed. “Nice. Glad to hear that.”

Ace went to grab another treat, but that was also when Deuce decided to reach out toward the plate. Between the two of them, Yuu, and Grim, they had practically polished off the entire plate. Now, there was only one cookie left.

Deuce and Ace looked at each other. Then, Deuce pushed the plate closer to Ace. “Here,” he said. “It’s a cherry jam one, and you like cherries, right?”

“Well,” he said, frowning slightly, “yeah, I guess.”

“Then you can have it.”

“… ‘Kay,” he said, picking up the cookie with a tinge of suspicion. When Deuce didn’t do anything, he brought it to his mouth and mumbled, “Thanks.”

“Mmn.” He flashed Ace a brief smile.

“By the way,” Trey said, reaching across the table to retrieve the empty plates, “if you have any suggestions on other things I could make for the sale, I’m all ears.”

“I say something savory!” Cater cheered enthusiastically. “Ooh, you know what you could make? Cheese muffins. I bet those’d be super popular.”

“Clover-senpai!” Deuce shot his arm up into the air as if volunteering an answer for class. “How about egg tarts?!”

Ace plugged his finger into his ear to block out his voice and nibbled on the last cherry jam-filled cookie. It melted sweetly in his mouth as he listened to the conversations around him. He smiled.

* * *

“Okay, well,” Yuu said, holding an armful of dark fabric and a pincushion full of sewing pins. “It’s not _done_ done, but can you try this on for me?”

“Huh?” Ace looked up from his phone. Then he realized Yuu was carrying his costume. “Oh, yeah. Sure.” He stood up and started unbuttoning his vest. “Thanks for making all the costumes for us, by the way.”

“Nah,” they said, unfurling the robe and fluffing it to get rid of wrinkles “It’s my job. You think the class president will let me redeem those gratitude points for food or something though?” Yuu sighed.

Ace laughed. “Doubt it.”

“Worth a try.” Yuu handed him the robe after he tossed his vest on the couch.

“Thanks.” Carefully, after navigating through vast amounts of fabric and some help from Yuu, Ace managed to find the sleeves and slipped the robe on.

“Hmm.” Yuu stepped back, gave Ace a once-over, and started tugging and pinching at the fabric to get it to sit right on his shoulders. “Okay, well, it looks passable. Could you put the hood on for me real quick?”

Ace grabbed the hood and pulled it over his head. The raw edges of the fabric dropped over his forehead.

Yuu mumbled something, and then knelt by the floor. “Hang on, don’t move. I’m going to stick pins in this thing.”

“Please don’t stab me.”

“No promises,” Yuu said with a smile in their voice.

It was at this point that Cater, who had been working on stuff for his own class activity at the table, looked up and saw Ace standing there with his half-finished costume.

“Ooh!” he said immediately, dropping the prop he was holding. “Are you guys doing costume fitting already?”

“Sort of?” Ace said uncertainly.

“Nice, nice, nice,” Cater said gleefully. He made his way to the two of them to get a better look at his outfit. “Aw, you look so cute already, Ace-chan!”

“I think the look we were going for was, ‘cool,’ but okay,” he said, laughing. “Thanks.”

“What are you going to do for makeup and hair, by the way?”

Ace scratched his cheek. “Uh, dunno. I don’t think we actually talked about that.”

“Aw, come on! You’re the main character, right? You should do something special so you’ll stand out even more on stage!” Cater said with a slight pout.

“I… guess?”

Cater tilted his head and tapped his cheek thoughtfully with his finger. “Here, why don’t I give you a mini makeover, and you can try using the look when you go on stage?” He moved his hand to his mouth and muttered, “After all the torture my sisters have put me through, it’s about time I got revenge somewhere…”

Ace blinked. “Sorry, what was that last part?”

Immediately, Cater’s expression brightened up again, and he held his hands up with his fingers spread apart cheerfully. “There was no last part! I’ll go grab my stuff, so just sit tight for me, ‘kay, Ace-chan?” Without waiting for a response, Cater headed out of the lounge.

Yuu stood up, rearranging the sewing pins on their cushion.

“You heard that, right?” he asked Yuu somewhat uncertainly.

“Heard what?”

He had a bad feeling about this.

Ace didn’t have too much time to spend with his bad feelings, though, because Cater was back in minutes with a few makeup bags’ worth of stuff. He beckoned Ace to the table and made him sit down. Yuu sat next to them, thread and needle in hand again as they continued to work on Ace’s costume.

“Okay, so I can lend you some stuff if you need, but the shade might be a bit off. Do you have foundation, at least?” Cater asked while pulling tubes of products and brushes from the bags.

“I have concealer and eyeliner?” he said, eyeing all the different things Cater was lining up on the table.

Apparently displeased with Ace’s answer, Cater hummed. Then, he shrugged. “Well, let’s just see how this goes then. Worst comes to it, we can ask Trey-kun to Doodle over the shade or something.” He held up a bunch of alligator hair clips and opened and closed them somewhat threateningly. “Now hold still for me.”

Ace had a _really_ bad feeling about this.

* * *

The first thing Cater had Ace do after clipping all his hair back was wipe off his usual heart mark and eyeliner, so he could have a blank slate to work with. Once Ace was done with that, Cater went completely wild on him. After far too many minutes of having things patted, smeared, and brushed onto his face, Cater was finally nearly done.

“I just got this highlighter the other day, and it’s super nice. It’s kind of iridescent and goes from red to orange, so it’s perfect for you, Ace-chan. It’ll match your hair and eyes,” he said as he dabbed some highlighter against his cheeks and used a brush to soften the edges. He dusted some over his eyelids as well, and Ace tried not to flinch at the sensation of the prickly brush bristles. “Oh, this might be nice on your lips too. Hang on…”

Ace opened his eyes hesitantly and tried not to frown as Cater poked the center of his lips with the brush and swept it out toward the corners of his mouth. Since he usually only drew on his suit mark and put eyeliner on every day, it felt weird to have his entire face covered in product. But he supposed he was grateful that Cater was even bothering to help him. Although his expression was a little too gleeful, and that was kind of scary.

“There!” Cater said triumphantly, sitting back and crossing his arms with a grin. “Perfect. Take a look, Yuu-chan. What do you think?”

Yuu put down their sewing and glanced over. “Whoa,” they said, blinking owlishly at him. “Who _are_ you?”

Ace furrowed his eyebrows at Yuu’s reaction. “Wait, what did you do to me, Cater-senpai?” He grabbed his phone from his pocket and opened the camera app on it.

“Aw, what are you so worried about? I made sure you look extra handsome!” he said, also taking out his phone, probably to take pictures with.

Right after the app opened, Ace swiped it into selfie mode, so he could see what Cater had done to him. The screen blurred for a second while it switched to the inner camera, and once it did, Ace also froze at his mirrored reflection. Seriously, who _was_ he?

Cater had given him a dark smoky eye look that faded far beyond the sharp wings of his exaggerated eyeliner and toward his hairline. It made his eyes appear heavily lidded and almost sensual. When he turned his head, his eyelids, cheeks, and lips shifted from a shimmering red to a golden orange. Sharp lines of liquid gold accentuated the features of his face and added even more mystery to his appearance.

The look was clearly exaggerated so it could be seen from the audience seats, but it was incredibly well done. Ace almost felt bad for doubting Cater. “Uh,” he said, unable to tear his eyes away from his face on the screen. “Thanks, Cater-senpai…”

“NP!” he said cheerfully. “It was fun. I don’t know if you’ll be able to do this on your own on the day of, but maybe it’ll be good inspiration.”

“Yeah…” He continued staring at himself and resisted the urge to touch his face.

“Hmm, we still have to do your hair though, huh? Well, I don’t have much stuff with me, but maybe we can just sweep your bangs up and to the side?” Cater sifted through his bags and took out a small container of hair gel and a handful of hairpins. “Look over here?”

Ace put his phone down and turned back to Cater.

After he unclipped Ace’s hair and got gel onto his hands, Cater ran his fingers roughly into Ace’s bangs and scrunched them to get them gelled up. He worked expertly, pinning clumps of his unruly hair back, teasing some volume out by tugging on the strands, and smoothing flyaway bits quickly. He tilted his own head thoughtfully then grabbed Ace by the chin to tilt his head for a better look.

Finally, he let go of Ace and nodded. “Nice.”

“Wow,” Yuu said. “That was fast.”

“Of course!” Cater said proudly. He grabbed a wet wipe from the packet he had on the table and cleaned off his hands. “I’m a pro.”

“No kidding,” Yuu said, gaping at Ace in disbelief.

Once again, Ace took out his phone and examined the stranger that stared back at him from the screen. For a second, Ace wondered if it was possible to fall for yourself.

“Looking good, Ace-chan. Oh, but hey! You know what would be even better? If you put on your costume now!” Cater said. “Yuu-chan, are you done with it yet?”

“No,” Yuu replied and finished their line of stitching with a knot. “But I finished hemming the hood, so you can at least take a selfie.”

“That’s perf! Quick, put on your robe again so we can see what the whole outfit looks like.”

At Cater’s insistence, Ace stood up, slipped the robe on again, and tugged the hood on halfway, so his hair and face were still visible.

Cater let out a low whistle once he was done. “Nice. You’re seriously looking the part of a powerful mage now, Ace-chan.”

Yuu nodded. “Yeah, that makeup and hairstyle really matches the costume. Thank god all my hard work will be worth it,” they sighed under their breath.

“And with that, let’s take some pics!” Cater herded Ace and Yuu next to him and held his phone in front of them. “You two ready? Cheese!” Just as he was about to take the picture, however, two familiar voices reached their ears. “Hm?” Cater lowered his phone.

Half a minute later, Deuce and Grim walked into the lounge.

“Here you all are!” Grim said as he leapt down from Deuce’s shoulder and ran across the table. “What are you doing?”

“Playing dress-up!” Cater declared happily. “How’s Ace-chan look?”

Grim cackled. “Couldn’t even recognize him! Guess even you can look alright when you clean up a bit.”

Ace poked Grim on the forehead. “Shut it, you little furball.”

“Deuce-chan, you should get in here and take a picture with us too!” Cater called out, waving Deuce over. When he didn’t get a response, he said, “Deuce-chan?”

Ace stopped trying to antagonize Grim and glanced up, only to meet Deuce’s stare straight on. His mouth was slightly parted, and he looked like he was frozen where he was standing. His gaze was so intense that Ace started to feel a little self-conscious. He tugged the hood of his robe a little higher. “What?”

Deuce snapped out of his daze and shook his head. He started walking over to them. “Nothing. Just never seen you like this.”

“Yeah, well, me neither,” Ace said, frowning. “You can thank Cater-senpai for this whole get-up.”

Deuce’s eyes darted over to Cater. “Diamond-senpai, you did this?”

“Hehe,” Cater laughed and held his hand up in a peace sign. “Guilty as charged! What do you think, Deuce-chan? Do you want to get your very own special Cate-kun make-over too?”

“I, uh…” he said absently, staring at Ace again, “think I’ll pass…”

“Boo, your loss! But anyway, since we’re all here, let’s get a selfie going! Magicam’s gonna _love_ this. Alright, squeeze in, everyone!” Cater pushed Deuce next to Ace and threw his arm around the both of them. Meanwhile, Yuu picked Grim up and huddled by Ace. “Ready? I’m gonna take a bunch, so don’t move! Cheese!” The shutter noise went off several times as Cater took multiple shots of them. He released the four of them from his hold after he was satisfied with his pictures.

Yuu walked around Ace and Deuce so they could get a better look at what Cater had taken. “Wait, let me see those shots before you upload them,” they said, peering at Cater’s phone.

Meanwhile, Ace and Deuce stepped back to give them more space.

Even though all he did was sit while Cater did his makeup and hair, Ace was feeling strangely exhausted. He supposed this was what it felt like to be played with. He felt oddly restless but could neither touch his face nor ruffle his hair to dispel his jitteriness. It really didn’t help that Deuce was still ogling at him with an open expression of amazement. Ace scowled again. “Seriously, what?”

“… You look really good,” Deuce said, face completely serious.

Ace was annoyed at himself for feeling embarrassed at Deuce’s utter lack of shame and mortification, but he forced a grin. “Well, thanks for the compliment, Deuce-kun. It’s only natural that I do, though. This _is_ me we’re talking about.”

At that, Deuce frowned. “At least act a little humble.”

“Why should I do that? I gotta use my looks for something, right?” He winked at Deuce and laughed.

Deuce’s eyes widened slightly, and he grimaced.

“Well, don’t get your hopes up or whatever. There’s no way I can replicate this look on my own, and I don’t think Cater-senpai’ll have the time to do my makeup on the day of the play, anyway,” he said, peering at himself from his phone. He snapped a few shots of himself for memory’s sake and to send to his brother.

“You’d probably look good either way,” Deuce mumbled, his gaze finally sliding away from Ace.

“Hmm…” Ace peeked coolly at Deuce from the corner of his eyes. He had said that so quietly, it was almost as if he was talking to himself. So instead of answering, Ace pretended to not have heard him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Edit, June 21, 2020** : I commissioned my SUPER lovely friend [Mystic](https://twitter.com/mystic514) to draw Ace as he's described in this chapter after his makeup, and she did SUCH A WONDERFUL JOB, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. /CRIES!!!! If you want to know what Ace is supposed to look like, [IT'S LIKE THIS](https://twitter.com/misu_rkgk/status/1274714354626236417?s=20). HE LOOKS LIKE PERFECTION!!!!! Please considering [commissioning](https://twitter.com/mystic514/status/1271046240164290561?s=20) her if you like what you see!
> 
> Of the four main activities mentioned in this chapter (theater/acting, wood construction, hair/face makeup, and sewing), I have only had extensive hands-on experience with one of them.
> 
> Can you tell which one it is, or have you been fooled by my wonderful writing skills and ability to bluff my way out of things I have never done? Take a guess, and see if you can figure it out. Don't cheat by looking at the other comments. Lol
> 
> If you thirst for good DeuAce, TreyCater, or general good Twst art, follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/algidwind), because that's all I RT all day, every day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always to [Bianka](https://twitter.com/celintuomi) for proofreading my chapters after I give up and yeet them at her with a dumbass Deuce noise.

“Which brings us into the next series of events which triggered the eventual downfall of the…”

Ace sighed, pursed his lips, and balanced his magical pen above his mouth. Trein was, once again, doing an excellent job of boring him to death, and he had checked out of the lesson basically the second it started. Next to him, Deuce was listening intently to the lecture, one hand lying on his open notebook and the other pressing the end of his pen against his chin.

Since he accidentally injured himself a few days ago, Deuce hadn’t worn his right glove because it interfered with his bandaging. It seemed like the wound was mostly healed over, but Deuce still had a simple bandage over where the cut was.

Tired of balancing his pen on his lips, Ace let it fall down and caught it. He rested his chin in his palms as he continued looking at Deuce’s bare hand. From what he could see, there were a few red scratches on it, but they weren’t anything too bad. They were probably nicks he got from splinters or something. At least he was actually keeping his promise with Ace and was being more careful while constructing the set pieces for their play.

His mind wandered again. Speaking of injuries, Yuu had been saying how they kept stabbing themselves with their sewing needles and pins. “Occupational hazard,” they had said with a sigh when Ace asked if they were okay. Since they were literal pinpricks, they weren’t as bad as the injury Deuce had gotten, but it still sucked that they were getting hurt.

Ace examined his own gloveless hand, checked his nails, and picked off a bit of skin from his finger. He glanced over to Deuce again, who was now scribbling something down into his notebook. Now that he thought about it, it was kind of weird that both he and Deuce didn’t have their right gloves on. It was like they were trying to match.

At this point Deuce noticed him staring. “What?” he mouthed at Ace, eyebrows furrowed. His mouth pulled down in a faint frown.

Ace glanced away and rubbed the side of his nail with his thumb. He shrugged, shook his head, and silently mouthed back, “Nothing.”

They had practice again after school.

* * *

“Okay! That’s good! Can you guys drop it down there?”

Ace and Deuce stopped walking while still carrying a large, flat piece of painted wood between them. Since most of their larger set pieces were finished, the class had decided to take the opportunity to put them on stage and see how things would look.

“’Kay,” Ace responded to their classmate, shifting his grip on the wooden frame. He started to lower the piece slowly to the floor, and Deuce did the same on the other side.

“Deuce, pull your side a little more toward the front? A bit more… Yeah, okay, that’s good!”

After getting the okay from their classmate, both of them stepped back and looked at their handiwork.

“Not bad,” Ace said with his hands on his hips. “Did you help make and paint this one too?” He asked Deuce as he examined the background.

“Yeah. I mean, I built most of the flats, but we all painted the stuff together.”

“Guess that’s one thing you’d be good at, considering how we keep having to paint the roses for our unbirthday parties.” Ace sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Anyway, was that the last piece for this scene?” He looked around for the guy who was supposed to be making notes on where all their set pieces were supposed to go.

“I think,” Deuce said. “Guess we should get off stage so they can get accurate notes.”

“Mmn.” Ace linked his hands behind his head and started walking backwards. “Man, I still can’t believe I got dragged into doing this,” he grumbled. During the day of the actual performance, the backstage crew would be the ones responsible for carrying and setting up all the background pieces, but since they were currently low on hands, and Ace had nothing better to do (and was standing conveniently next to Deuce), he got roped into the job. “I knew this from forever ago, but hanging out with you brings me nothing but trouble.”

“Hey,” Deuce said, glaring at him as he walked next to him. “Excuse you.”

“Oh wel— Aah?!” Ace’s eyes widened as he tripped over something behind him. He tried to catch himself, but his foot was trapped, and he lost his balance.

“Ace!”

Too many things happened at once for him to register, but Ace was aware that he was about to fall when a sudden, strong pressure gripped his left arm and yanked him forward. His arm and shoulder stung from the abrupt jerk, but that was enough to center his weight again. As he stumbled forward, an arm wrapped around his waist and pulled him tight. He coughed and lost his breath when he crashed into a very firm wall.

Suddenly, everything was still again, and he opened his eyes, which he didn’t even realize he had clenched shut. His heart was racing, and his entire body felt hot from the panic and adrenaline which surged in him.

“Are you okay?”

Deuce’s voice sounded—and felt—a lot closer than what Ace was used to, and it was no wonder that it did. They were literally chest-to-chest. He quickly realized that the “very firm wall” he collided into was Deuce, who happened to be looking at him with a very concerned expression. They were standing so close, Ace could feel Deuce’s quickened breath on his face.

“Y-Yeah,” Ace gulped, pushing Deuce on the shoulder to get away. Immediately, Deuce loosened his grip and let him go. Ace steadied himself on his own feet and smoothed down his shirt, still feeling a bit shaky from the ordeal. If Deuce hadn’t been there to grab him, he probably would’ve gotten hurt.

He glanced at the floor to see what he had tripped over and frowned. It was, unsurprisingly, a set piece. This one, however, should have been a lot closer to the front of the stage, according to what Ace remembered from the staging map he looked at earlier. He scowled.

“Hey, thanks for catching me,” he said, patting Deuce on the shoulder twice and moving away completely.

“Yeah,” Deuce said, drawing his lingering hands back. “No problem.”

“Hey!” Ace called out as he marched off the stage angrily. “Who was the one who set up the props by the front of the stage? I just tripped over one of them and nearly ate it, dammit!”

* * *

“Aaah!” Yuu cried into the semi-quiet lounge, buried their face into their hands, and hunched over the table.

Ace, who had been playing a game on his phone, broke his full combo streak when Yuu yelled and jumped in alarm. “Whoa, what happened? What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Did you hurt yourself?” Deuce asked as well, already standing from the couch.

“No…” Yuu said sadly into their hands. “I just sewed the wrong pieces of fabric together again…”

“What? Is that all?” Deuce said, sighing and sitting back down.

The couch bounced under his weight, and Ace glared at Deuce for disturbing him. He locked his phone and called over to Yuu’s despairing form. “Hey, do you need help or something? I can help with whatever you need by tomorrow, but you should go back to your own dorm soon. I know it’s Friday, but it’s pretty late, and we didn’t ask Riddle-senpai for permission for you to stay over.”

It was nearing one in the morning and, despite the fact that the dorm’s lights-out hours had been removed for the month leading up to Culture Day, visitors who wanted to stay overnight in Heartslabyul still needed to get permission from Riddle first. And although Riddle was more understanding and lenient now, he still had to uphold the dorm rules.

“Oh, it is pretty late,” Deuce muttered to himself after glancing at the one clock in the lounge which told the right time. He looked at Yuu. “I’ll help too.”

Yuu sat up and looked at them with hopeful eyes. “Really? You guys’d do that for me?”

“Well, I mean, it’s our play too, so it makes sense for us to help, right?” Ace said. Deuce nodded in agreement. “’Sides, we can probably work faster with magic than you can.”

“You two are lifesavers,” Yuu said, half-sobbing at them. “I’m so tired,” they whispered fervently and started gathering up fabric from the table. After shuffling over to them, Yuu dropped the fabric down on the coffee table in front of them. “Okay,” they said, “this is what I need you to do for me.”

Since the more complicated costumes were done, Yuu simply needed to sew together the generic villager garb for the rest of the cast. Unfortunately, the patterns for the shirts were all the same, so they had accidentally sewed the wrong size sheets together while working on auto-pilot. What they needed Ace and Deuce to do now was take apart the seams so they could sew the right pieces together the next day.

“Actually,” Yuu said somewhat hesitantly, “could I ask you guys to do some sewing for me too?”

“I mean,” Ace said, “you could, but I’m just going to let you know that I’ve never really hand-sewn in my life before.”

“Me neither,” Deuce said, frowning slightly.

“It’s okay,” Yuu replied, already grabbing another piece of fabric from the pile they had dropped off earlier. “It’s an easy stitch, and no one will see it anyway.”

“I’m pretty good at fixing electronics and stuff, but I don’t know if I’ll be any good at sewing…” Deuce tilted his head and put a hand to his chin.

“Dude, don’t even try. I bet you’ll end up messing everything up. You take care of taking apart the seams. I’ll do the sewing,” Ace waved his hand dismissively.

Deuce grumbled. “You didn’t have to say it that way.”

“No point in beating around the bush. Anyway, what did you need sewn together, Yuu?”

“This. I already put half the collar on, but I need you to sew the other side of it on. Oh, Deuce, do you need a seam ripper for the—?”

“Hm?” Deuce looked up from the fabric he was holding. Several stitches unraveled and snapped apart on their own when he pointed his magical pen at them. Tiny sparkles flew from the fabric.

“… Never mind. Just keep doing what you’re doing,” Yuu said. “Man, wish I could do that too,” they muttered. They turned back to Ace. “Do you know how to do a blind stitch?”

“Nope!”

“Okay, let me teach you…”

Thanks to Ace’s ability to learn things quickly, it only took about five minutes for Yuu to teach him how to do a blind stitch. Unfortunately, the process was too new for Ace to try to do magically, so he would have to hand-sew the pieces together the old-fashioned way.

“Thanks so much again, you guys. This will save me a lot of time, since I can just start sewing everything together tomorrow,” Yuu said as they picked Grim up from where he was sleeping on the table and tucked him under their arm. “I’ll come pick everything up tomorrow afternoon! Good night.”

“Yeah, of course,” Ace said, pausing mid-stitch to wave at Yuu. “Be careful heading back. Later.”

Deuce looked up from his work as well. “Good night, Yuu.”

As Yuu left the lounge, Ace and Deuce heard Grim’s sleepy voice float back to them. “Izzit time for bed?”

“Yeah. We’re going back now.”

After that, it was quiet, since they were the only ones left in the room. Everyone else had either left the lounge already or were staying up late in their own rooms. Now, the only sound that accompanied them were the ticking of the clocks and the occasional crackle and fizz of Deuce’s magic as he tore seams apart thread by thread.

“You doing okay there, Deuce? You sure you’re not tearing through the cloth instead of the thread?” Ace said while pulling his thread taut from his piece and stabbing it again.

“Screw you,” Deuce replied with a bitter undertone but no anger. “I’m not that bad at controlling my magic.”

“That so?” He added another stitch to the fabric. The thread caught, so he pulled a little harder. It pulled through smoothly with the rough encouragement.

Ace didn’t know if it was because they were both tired and didn’t have the energy to fight or if Deuce was getting used to his petty insults, but it felt like they weren’t arguing as much recently. They still did, of course, over stupid things (like who left the classroom first or who finished eating lunch the fastest), but their fights felt less frequent and heated. He supposed after dealing day in and day out with the same guy for months, it was only natural that they got used to each other.

It was just weird that he never seemed to notice until recently.

Ace dipped the sharp point of his needle into the fabric and eased it in, careful not to prick his finger. The silver metal flashed briefly in the sea of dark cloth, and the thread followed through it with a soft hiss.

This was nice too, he guessed. It was fun riling up Deuce and seeing him mad, but it honestly took a lot of energy, especially when Ace sometimes ended up arguing with Grim as well.

He yawned and rubbed his eye with the back of his wrist after safely pinning the needle into the fabric he was holding onto. Deuce yawned with him. Ace snickered.

“What?” Deuce said, glaring at him.

Ace shrugged wordlessly.

As the clocks in the room counted the passing time in steady ticks, Ace began feeling sleepier and sleepier. Sewing was monotonous work, and he was already tired before he offered to help Yuu. Combined with the soft, quiet atmosphere of the lounge, he already felt like he was halfway to falling asleep.

He finished another stitch and ran his left thumb over the fabric he had sewn down so far. They weren’t pretty stitches by any means, but at least they held the cloth together. Ace yawned again and rubbed his face with his hand, hoping that would wake him up a bit. He started sewing again.

“You know, if you’re sleepy…” a familiar voice called out to him, lower and more muted than usual.

“… Hm?” Ace closed his eyes to rest them and tried to catch the rest of the sentence, but he was so drowsy. He breathed in and sighed, and his hands went slack in his lap.

* * *

“… something to cover them with, so I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

Ace stirred from his deep slumber to the sound of voices, but he was still so tired. He couldn’t even muster the energy to open his eyes, so he didn’t. His mind was a little fuzzy, and he didn’t know exactly what was going on, but he felt warm and comfortable.

Oh, he remembered now as he snuggled closer to the warm body beside him. He must have fallen asleep on the couch again with his brother. He couldn’t recall what they were doing before they fell asleep though. Playing games, maybe? His mind didn’t offer him any solid answers, and he was too sleepy to pursue them.

Something heavy and soft got pulled from his hands and lap, and he furrowed his eyebrows at the slight disturbance. He thought he heard the sound of crumpling fabric shortly after that.

“Oh, you took the stuff out of their laps?”

“Yeah, just to be safe.”

The voices came to him through a thick layer of cotton, and he could barely make out the words, but they still felt warm and reassuring. Something soft and fluffy brushed up against his chin, and he felt a blanket get tucked around him.

“Aww. They’re picture perfect.”

It must have been his mom and dad, covering them up so they wouldn’t catch a cold. Both he and his brother had gotten far too big and heavy for his parents to carry and bring back to their rooms, after all.

“… get the lights?”

“’Kay, hang on…”

The voices faded, and Ace’s consciousness settled back into the welcoming cushion of sleep.

* * *

“Ngh…”

Ace woke up to the sound of a very loud and annoying bird trilling outside. He groaned and snuggled his face deeper against his brother’s shoulder, hoping that it would be enough to block out the bright sunlight coming into his room.

Suddenly, Ace realized there was something very wrong with that train of thought. There was no way his brother was next to him, and he was definitely not in his room.

His eyes snapped open, and he looked around. Just as he had suspected, he wasn’t in his room but on the couch of the dorm’s lounge. He looked down at the forest green blanket that was tucked around him. There was also someone sleeping beside him. Ace didn’t need to look to know who it was, but he still did anyway.

And indeed, it was Deuce, who was still asleep. His features were lax, and he looked even stupider and younger than he usually did. Without the usual tension of his furrowed brows marring his face, Ace could clearly see how babyish his cheeks and round his jawline were, but hints of his coming adulthood were beginning to sharpen Deuce’s soft features. Deuce’s bangs fell over his forehead and obscured half of his face, but they didn’t hide the drool on the corner of his open mouth. Ace shook his head. Gross.

Ace felt a bit embarrassed for having buried his face into Deuce’s shoulder and neck just a few moments prior, but thankfully, no one was there to witness that mistake.

He yawned, pulled his arm from under the blanket, and rubbed his face sleepily. The two of them must have fallen asleep last night while sewing. He saw the pile of fabric he and Deuce had been working on last night folded neatly on the coffee table in front of the couch and his phone next to it all. It was blinking with a notification, so he reached for it and activated the screen.

“What the…?” He frowned at the screen when he saw that he had been tagged in a Magicam post. He unlocked his phone and tapped on the notification. The site loaded.

Ace’s eyes widened, then he groaned into his hand.

The notification led to Cater’s account, where he had posted a picture of Ace and Deuce. Both of them were covered up by the blanket—which Ace now guessed was from Trey—and Ace had his head resting on Deuce’s shoulder. Beneath the picture was a series of hashtags.

“#FirstYearsHardAtWork! #LolTheyreSoCute #ShhDontTellRiddlekun,” they read, but they didn’t stop there. “#LooksLikeTheyWereSewing #NoWorries #ITookAwayTheirSewingNeedles #PropsToTreykunForTheBlanket #GoodNight! #CulturalFestPrep #NRC”

It was obvious that Cater had a lot of fun writing up those tags, and there were more comments on the picture than Ace cared to read. Already, he could imagine the kind of teasing he’d have to endure for the rest of his life. He sighed and wondered what he could bribe Cater with in order for him to take the post down.

* * *

The cultural festival was soon, and Ace had a headache. Everything was coming along fine, and he had more-or-less memorized all his lines, but because of how seriously everyone else in 1-A was taking the play, he felt like he needed to put more effort into his role as well. Otherwise, it would be a waste of effort.

He sighed, slumped in his chair, and let his head hang over the back of it. Then, he covered his face with his script.

A few seats away from him at the table, Deuce asked, “What’s wrong?”

“… Nothing.”

It was now past midnight and Ace and Deuce were, once again, the only people left in the lounge. Ace had come out to work on memorizing his lines, but he had no idea what Deuce was still doing here. If it was his homework he needed to finish, he could’ve just gone back to his room to do it. Maybe he didn’t want to bother his roommates.

Ace heard Deuce turn a page in his textbook before saying, “Doesn’t sound like ‘nothing.’”

“Hmm.”

The sound of pen scratching on paper continued. Then, Deuce said, “Okay! Done,” and closed his book.

Ace let the script slide off his face and onto his chest as he watched Deuce gather up his school supplies. “Good work,” he said. “Only took you like six hours to do.”

Deuce glared at him and continued straightening out his worksheets on the table. “At least _I’m_ done with what I came out here for, unlike someone.”

“Hmph.” Ace plucked the script from his shirt and frowned.

“… You need help?”

“What?”

“With practicing your lines or whatever. I don’t really know how it works, but isn’t it easier to practice them if you had someone to do them with instead of muttering them to yourself?”

Ace furrowed his eyebrows. “Are you trying to extort me?”

Deuce flushed. “I’m just trying to be nice! Like you said to Yuu the other day, the play’s something the entire class is doing, so it’d make sense to help each other out… or something.”

“Oh? I didn’t know that you had a nice side, Deuce-kun,” Ace teased.

“Yeah, I do. I’m different from some evil jerk I know,” he retaliated with an equally infuriating smirk.

Ace laughed and straightened in his seat. “Fine, if you’re offering.” He slid the script across the table and watched as it fluttered to a stop against Deuce’s textbook. “Just don’t suck at this.” Knowing what he did about Deuce, Ace wouldn’t be surprised if he couldn’t act to save his life. He was wholly prepared to have to deal with Deuce’s wooden and flat line reading. He got up from his chair and stretched. “You can start from the top of that page.”

“Okay. Should I stand up too?” Deuce asked.

“Nah. I just want to practice the motions for this scene. You just do you.” He turned his back to Deuce.

“Okay,” he said again. He dropped his gaze to the page in front of him, breathed in, and started reading. “Ery! Eryolle! Stop!”

Ace spun around with a sneer on his face. “Oh? Someone must be upset at me to be calling me by full name.”

Deuce stared at him, stunned at his sudden emotional transformation. Ace broke character, jutted his chin out at the script Deuce was holding, and prompted him to continue. “Oh, uh,” he said, stumbling over himself. He cleared his throat and started reading again. “I don’t have time for your jests. Return the crystal to me, and I won’t have to hurt you.”

“Hah!” Ace threw his head back and barked in laughter. “What happened to all your courtly manners? Are you not supposed to make small talk with me first before demanding things of me, Finrel?” He took a step closer to Deuce, his eyes flashing with anger.

“… I said I don’t have time for your jests. Return what you stole from us, Ery.”

A shiver went down Ace’s back. He didn’t know if it was because Deuce was getting drawn into the play by his own acting or what, but the air around him had suddenly changed. Now, he was staring at Ace with the same eyes he had when they were in the middle of a real argument. Ace steeled himself and snarled. “This crystal was never meant to belong to the kingdom! You worship it, yet you remain blind to its curse!”

“The Seer warned us of this. They warned that you would try to lie to me.” Deuce’s voice burned with accusation and his free hand formed a fist in his lap.

“I—” Ace choked out, letting his expression crumble for a second before solidifying again. “I would never lie to you. You know that.”

“How should I?” Deuce, said, half-rising from his seat. “You left the kingdom for more than five years. How am I to know you’re still the same person I knew from before?”

Ace was finding that acting alongside Deuce was as simple as breathing. He was so easily influenced by Ace’s performance that he completely fell into Finrel’s character. It probably helped that Deuce had been present at many of their read-throughs and rehearsals, so he had a general idea of what was supposed to happen in each scene. Still, for someone who hadn’t been actively memorizing the play lines, he was doing remarkably well.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Ace said and squared his shoulders.

Deuce was standing fully now. His rage and confusion, whether false or real, was palpable from his tense posture. This was familiar. This was routine. This scathing back-and-forth was something they went through every day. Ace’s breathing picked up unconsciously as his emotions started to overflow.

“The one that is cursed isn’t the crystal, is it? It’s you, Eryolle.”

Ace dropped his head and stared at the floor, hands shaking by his side. “… You dare call me the cursed one? I risk my life to try and save our kingdom—no, _your_ kingdom—and this is how you treat me?” He lifted his face and asked in a breaking voice, “After having spent our entire childhood together, you would so easily discard your trust in me? Were all those years of ours mere lies…?”

They stared at each other silently, as if the air around them had frozen. Deuce’s wide eyes looked earnestly into Ace’s, his face clearly painted with open awe. For a second, Ace wondered why Deuce’s eyes looked glossier than usual, but that was when Deuce’s mouth dropped open, and he whispered, “I’m sorry…”

Ace didn’t know what he was apologizing for since that wasn’t the next line in the script, but Deuce looked and sounded so earnest, he found himself hesitating. He realized at that moment that Deuce’s eyes were shining with unshed tears. Suddenly, embarrassment flooded him. It felt uncomfortable seeing Deuce in such a vulnerable state, even if it was one drawn out by strong empathy and not real sorrow. It felt too personal and raw. Ace broke character and averted his eyes.

“That’s… not in the script.”

“Oh,” Deuce said simply, finally snapping out of his daze. “My bad, I kind of got caught up in that.” He rubbed his eyes.

“Yeah,” Ace laughed easily, “I could tell.”

“Sorry, did you want to keep practicing, or…?”

“Nah,” he said. He held out his hand for the script. “I think this is enough for today. Thanks for helping me.”

Deuce looked at the pages he held for a moment before returning them to Ace. “No prob. Hey, um,” he said while leaning forward slightly, “how are you so good at acting?”

“Huh?” Ace blinked at the sudden question. He scratched the back of his head. “Ah, well… My older brother really likes watching movies, so we’d watch a bunch together when we were younger. Sometimes, we would act out our favorite scenes, and I guess that’s where it came from?” There was also the fact that putting on a façade was an easy way to manipulate people into giving him what he wanted, but he kept that part to himself.

“That was amazing,” Deuce gushed, eyes glittering as if he were talking about Magical Wheels. His gaze was so straightforward and piercing, it felt as if he was staring straight into Ace’s soul. “I’ve been watching you practice on stage and stuff, but this was the first time I got really sucked into the story.”

“Thanks, I guess,” he said, not certain how to respond to the sincere praise. “But I mean, your acting was pretty good too. The hell was that all about?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never tried doing it before, but…” Deuce paused and mulled over his thoughts. “It just felt really easy to follow your lead.”

Ace laughed. “What? What are you saying? That I’m the reason you were able to do so well?”

“Yeah,” he replied without a shred of hesitance, “probably.”

Deuce’s honesty made Ace balk. Seriously, did this guy have no sense of shame? How did he say such embarrassing things without batting an eyelash? Heat rose to his cheeks, and he swallowed. “Don’t…” he stammered, “don’t say things like that as if it’s no big deal! You’re so friggin’ embarrassing.”

Deuce’s face flushed, as if he had barely realized exactly how mortifying his words were. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to…!”

“It’s fine,” he cut him off. “Anyway… I’m going to go back to my room. I don’t want to fall asleep out here again. You’d better go to sleep soon too.”

“Yeah, good idea.”

“Thanks again for helping me with this,” Ace said, holding up his script. “Night.”

“… You’re welcome. Good night.”

Ace left the lounge and made his way back to his room. When he went inside, his other roommates were already fast asleep, and he had to sneak his way back to his bed and crawl in it. After tucking himself in and sinking into the comfort of his mattress, Ace closed his eyes.

But for some reason, he found it harder than usual to fall asleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Fun fact!** : The name of Ace's character Eryolle is actually the name of an old DnD character of mine. I decided to recycle it because I was too lazy to think of another random character name. Lmfao
> 
> **Self-promotion time!** :  
> 1) Deuce's birthday was on June 3! I drew him [a picture](https://twitter.com/brumalbreeze/status/1267863893793107968?s=20) to celebrate it~!  
> 2) Also, there's a bi-weekly 60-minute DeuAce challenge that happens on Twitter, and I participated in the first round. The theme was ["cherry pie."](https://twitter.com/brumalbreeze/status/1269268607013281792?s=20)  
> 3) And one last thing! I'm translating the Fairy Gala event in Twst, so if you wanna check that out, [here it is](https://twitter.com/algidwind/status/1270681611466465280?s=20)!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh. Yikes. Hi, everyone. Sorry, I didn't realize it's actually been three months since I last updated this fic! I've been kinda busy with stuff, so yeah. Thanks for your patience! I hope you still remember what's happening because I sure didn't when I started writing this chapter. Lol

Ace pressed his phone to his ear and breathed in the night air as it rang. After a few seconds, the ringing stopped, and someone picked up on the other side.

_“Hello?”_

He smiled when he heard his brother’s voice. “Hey.”

_“Ace. What are you still doing up so late? Isn’t it past curfew already?”_

He laughed and leaned his arms on the balustrade in front of him. “There’s no curfew while Culture Fest prep is going on, remember?

_“Oh, yeah, I totally forgot they do that. Anyway, what’s up?”_

“Nothing much,” Ace replied, staring out at the clear sky above him. “Just thought I’d call. You’re coming to the Festival, right?”

 _“With the way Mom and Dad have been nagging me about it, I couldn’t have not gone even if I didn’t want to. Don’t worry. I’ll be there to watch your play,”_ his brother said, a smile evident in his voice.

“Good.”

_“How’s practice and prep been going?”_

“Alright,” he said. “Not much has changed since I messaged you last time. Everything’s basically ready at this point. But dude, listen to this…”

Even though Ace regularly messaged his brother and chatted with him that way, getting to hear his voice was always more fun. His brother always laughed at the right times and, when Ace needed it, he always gave him good advice. But, in general, talking to his brother made him feel better no matter what mood he was in. He needed that now because for the past few days, Ace had been feeling oddly antsy and unsettled.

“Then Deuce came in, and of course he had no idea what just happened, so—” Suddenly, he heard his brother laugh, and he stopped. “What? What’s so funny?” he asked. He didn’t think he had said anything that interesting yet.

_“Nothing, sorry. Just thinking that you talk about that guy a lot.”_

Ace furrowed his eyebrows. “What guy?”

_“That Deuce kid.”_

“Huh?”

_“You’re always talking about him in your texts, and like half of the stories you just told me were about him. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed?”_

His brother’s words caught him off guard, and Ace needed a moment to think. He swallowed. “Well… yeah,” he started, not liking how his mouth had suddenly gone dry. “We’re both in Heartslabyul and in the same class to boot. I have to see his ugly mug practically every day whether I like it or not. And he’s such a dumbass that he just keeps getting into messes. Besides!” he said a little more loudly than he intended to, “I talk about Yuu and Grim loads too.”

 _“True,”_ he said after a moment. _“Guess you have a point.”_

“Of course I do,” Ace said.

 _“For how much of a disaster he sounds like, you sure hang out with him a lot, though.”_ It sounded like he was smiling again.

Ace felt his face get warmer. He knew what his brother was getting at, but he wasn’t going to let him win this round. “He’s stupid as hell, but he’s not a bad guy, I guess. It’s hilarious watching him freak out when he screws things up, and I don’t hate hanging out with him or anything. Being with him, Yuu, and Grim is like a guarantee that life won’t be boring. It sucks when I get in trouble just by being associated with them, though.”

_“Sounds like you have a lot of fun when you’re with all of them.”_

“… Yeah.”

_“That’s good.”_

He looked up at the sky again and took in the sight of the moon. It wasn’t quite full yet, but maybe in a few days it will fill out completely. Maybe even on the day of the Culture Festival, actually. Quietly, he repeated, “Yeah…”

What he said was the truth. Watching Deuce get in trouble was his main entertainment every day, and he didn’t dislike being with him. As weird as it felt to be treated as a pair with Deuce in a similar way to how Grim and Yuu were, he could understand why people did so. After all, they were more often together than not.

But beyond that, he didn’t know what to think or feel.

Things have been a little weird between him and Deuce the past few days. That was the best way he could describe it. It wasn’t as if anything changed, but something still felt different. In the back of his mind, Ace knew he had just been willfully ignoring the signs, but now that he wasn’t looking away from them, they were painfully and awkwardly clear.

Deuce definitely and unquestionably liked him.

It was obvious in the way he always stared at Ace a little too long and laughed a bit more when they were together. And now that Ace was aware of this, he had to deal with the consequences of that knowledge.

Neither he nor his brother spoke and just let the silence sit between them. Ace chewed on his lower lip and used his index finger to pick at the skin on the side of his thumb.

“Hey, um…”

_“Hm?”_

Ace swallowed, but there wasn’t enough saliva in his mouth to wet his dry throat. The words “I think Deuce might like me” floated dangerously on the tip of his tongue, but, ultimately, he shook his head and banished them.

“Never mind.”

_“You sure?”_

“Yeah.”

His brother chuckled. _“Guess I shouldn’t be surprised you have things you want to keep secret from me now.”_

“What? I’m not—!” Ace alarmed himself by yelling all of a sudden and clapped a hand over his mouth. Even if there was no curfew, he’d still probably get beheaded if Riddle caught him yelling out on the balcony so late at night. He whispered furiously into his phone. “What are you talking about?”

 _“Just messing with you,”_ he said. If he was in front of Ace right now, he would undoubtedly be ruffling Ace’s hair. _“Anyway,”_ he went on, _“finding people you get along with and like hanging out with is hard, so treasure the ones you do meet, ‘kay? Like that Deuce guy.”_

He definitely tacked on that last part on purpose. Ace should’ve known better than to think he could hide anything away from his brother. “Sure, whatever. Anyway, I’m getting sleepy, so I should go to bed now.”

_“Sounds good. Sleep well.”_

“Thanks. And thanks for chatting with me tonight.”

 _“No prob,”_ he said with a smile. _“I’ll see you at the Culture Festival. I’m looking forward to your performance.”_

“You’d better be,” Ace said with a grin. “Can’t wait to see you again though, man. It’s been forever.”

_“Oh? So you don’t miss Mom and Dad? They’d cry if they heard you say that.”_

Ace laughed. “Don’t tell them, then!”

_“No promises. Anyway, get to bed already.”_

“Okay, I will. Good night.”

_“Night.”_

The line went quiet, and Ace sighed. The air felt a little chilly tonight.

* * *

_Morning. You ready for your play? Mom, Dad, and I are planning on getting to NRC about an hour before your play starts so we can do a quick walk around and grab some good seats. I bet you’ll wanna hang out with your friends and all, so don’t worry about meeting us before the show. We can catch up after the performance for pics and whatever. I’m sure Mom and Dad will want to take tons. Anyway, good luck, and see you later._

A sleepy grin stretched over Ace’s face as he read the message his brother sent him, half his face still smushed into his pillow. He sat up and stretched his arms above his head. Then, he let out a determined breath.

Today was the day.

* * *

“Okay… All the props and stage pieces have been accounted for, so everything should be okay. Just make sure you’re all here backstage at least an hour before our time slot, okay? That includes all actors as well. Any questions?” The class president of class 1-A glanced up from the clipboard he was holding and looked around the group of boys who were gathered around him. When no one spoke, he nodded and lowered the board. “Alright, that’s it then. I guess you can all just hang around until the day officially starts. Enjoy the festival!”

The class started talking and laughing the second the meeting was over. It was finally Culture Day, and everyone was filled to the brim with excitement. At the moment, they were all gathered near the stage in the school’s gym, but they would be free to wander the campus once the announcement for the start of Culture Day was made.

Near the back of the gathering, Yuu checked their wristwatch and hummed. “Well, that gives us about five hours, so what did you guys want to do first?”

Ace laced his hands behind his head and shrugged. “Maybe just walk around? It’d be cool to see all the decorations the other classes have put up and stuff.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea. We only got to see everything when it was still half-done,” Deuce added, resting a hand against his chin and nodding.

“Sounds like a plan! I guess we can just stop by wherever we like along the way,” Yuu said, picking Grim off their shoulder and holding him in their arms instead.

“All the other classes are gonna have to slave over their activities all day,” Grim said with a wide grin, “but we don’t have anything to do until it’s show time! Let’s go rub it in their faces!”

“I’m not sure they’d appreciate that,” Yuu said slowly, “but let’s do it.”

Ace laughed at the devious grin on Yuu’s face. “You’ve seriously been hanging out with us too much.”

Just at that moment, a voice rang out on the school-wide PA system.

“ _Good morning, Night Raven College. It is now ten o’clock and the official beginning of Culture Day. Be safe and enjoy yourselves._ ”

The sound of cheering both near and far could be heard throughout campus, and Ace grinned at the other three.

“Perfect timing,” he said. “Let’s get going!”

* * *

The entirety of Night Raven College was in a state of what could only be described as “barely contained chaos.” There were students carrying large cardboard stands, trays of food, boxes overflowing with decorations, and everything in-between. But not only were the classrooms bustling with activity, the hallways, grounds, and common outdoors areas were swarming with people rushing back and forth. It seemed like many classes were still scrambling to get everything ready.

As the four of them watched harried students run past them, Ace smiled and laughed. “See? Are you glad we don’t have to run around like headless chickens, trying to do last-minute preparations? Toldja putting on a play would make our lives easier.”

“You know, I’m still not completely sold on that argument of yours,” Yuu replied. “We had to put so many hours and days preparing everything for the play...”

“And we only barely finished everything last night,” Deuce added, frowning.

“Okay, fair,” he conceded, shrugging his shoulders, “ _but_ , not only does everyone else here have to put in the same amount of work, they also have to work all day today! We don’t. If you look at it that way, don’t you think we’re the true winners here?”

“Hmm…” Deuce furrowed his eyebrows. Then, he hesitantly said, “I… guess you’re right.”

“You really gotta stop believing everything Ace says without doubting it,” Yuu said with a sigh.

Deuce’s body went rigid. “I-I don’t…!”

“Aw,” Ace interrupted, grinning cheekily. “Don’t tease him, Yuu. He can’t help it if he can’t resist me. Right, Deuce-kun?” With that, he gave Deuce a wink.

Deuce immediately shut his mouth and turned pink.

Although Deuce’s reaction to his teasing was completely standard, Ace was surprised when he felt a flood of itchy heat sweep across his own face. He laughed again, pretending not to notice how forced it sounded, and punched Deuce on the shoulder.

“What’s that face for?” he asked, trying his best to stand his ground and not succumb to embarrassment. “I’m just messing with you.”

“… I know,” Deuce said with a full pout and lowered his gaze to the ground.

There it was again. That look Deuce always made when he got embarrassed. With the way he averted his eyes and puffed out his cheeks, he looked sort of like a mix between a sad puppy and a pufferfish. And as ridiculous as that hybrid mix sounded, Deuce almost looked… endearing.

The word “cute” floated dangerously close to Ace’s mind, but before it got to him, he broke the awkward and uncomfortable lull that had enveloped their group. “Anyway!” he declared loudly. “Let’s get a move on. No point standing around here all day. Let’s go!”

Deuce’s expression cleared up immediately. “Oh, right. Jack said his class was selling drinks. It might be nice to get some first.”

“Yeah! Let’s go mess with them!” Grim crowed, patting his paws excitedly against Yuu’s arms. His tail swished back and forth excitedly.

“Sounds like a plan.” Yuu smiled. “What class is Jack in again?”

“1-B. But I’m not sure he’ll actually be in there right now,” Deuce said.

Yuu started walking with him. “Well, I’m sure we’ll find him eventually. By the way…”

Ace hesitated for a moment before trailing after them. He didn’t have time to be losing himself in his thoughts today. It was Culture Day, and he intended to make the most of it.

It didn’t take long before they reached 1-B.

“Jack! Epel!” Deuce called out and waved when he spotted the two of them.

Beckoned by Deuce’s voice, both Jack and Epel paused what they were doing and turned to face them. Jack was carrying a heavy-looking box, and Epel a very sharp knife and an apple. It was an odd sight.

“You guys got here fast,” Jack said. He stacked the box he was holding on top of another one that was on the floor. “You didn’t have to set up your room or anything?”

Ace slipped into the conversation just as easily as he did his hands behind his head. “Nah,” he said, “we’re putting on a play, remember? Everything’s all ready. We just have to be by the stage before the show starts.”

“Huh.” Jack frowned at the information but shrugged. “Okay.”

“Um, Epel, what are you holding that paring knife for?” Yuu asked, eyeing the sharp knife with furrowed brows.

“Oh, uh,” he said, glancing down at his hands and back up again. “We’re selling drinks with fresh fruit in them, and I’m in charge of making them into pretty shapes. They should be nice… I think.”

“You should be more careful with that. Walking around with an unsheathed knife is dangerous,” Deuce said.

Epel smiled brightly. “Thanks! I will, but I’m pretty used to handling knives, so I’ll be okay!”

It was hard not to believe his declaration, especially since he said it with such a confident grin, but it was still rather alarming.

“If you order a drink, I can carve something pretty for you. What do you think?” Epel said, holding up the bright red apple in his grasp.

“Sure,” Ace said, “that’s what we came here for anyway! What flavors do you have?”

They spent a handful of moments looking at the menu they had written on the chalkboard and debating what to get. After the four of them finished ordering and paying, Jack started preparing their drinks, and Epel began carving chunks out of the apple he was holding.

They watched him in fascination as he worked. In no time, he had cut a heart, spade, cat’s head, and fish out of the apple. Each of them went to Ace, Deuce, Yuu, and Grim, respectively. “We’re supposed to put these in your drinks,” he said, “but I thought you might want to take pictures.”

“Whoa,” Ace said as he received his carefully whittled piece of apple. “That was fast.”

“Nyahaha! It’s a tuna fish!” Grim cheered as he held the treat in his paws.

Yuu held their piece in their palm and tilted it back and forth. “Wow… Thanks, Epel. It’s almost a waste to eat these!”

Deuce nodded silently next to them, carefully holding his spade-shaped piece of apple between two fingers.

Epel blushed lightly. “I’m glad you like them.”

“Hey,” Ace said, taking out his phone. “We might as well take a group selfie together while we’re at it. C’mon, Jack. Get in here,” Ace said as he held out his phone in front of them and got ready.

“What?” He looked up from pouring carbonated water into the cups he had pumped syrup into and balked. “But I’m not—”

“We don’t have all day!” Ace said, jerking his chin over to the group.

Jack reluctantly put down the bottle and cup he was holding and got into the frame with the rest of them.

“Squeeze in close, people,” Ace said. “My arm’s not that long.”

As he adjusted his phone to try to get everyone into the picture, Ace heard Deuce shuffle closer to him and mumble, “Sorry,” under his breath. He didn’t know what the apology was for until Deuce placed his hand on his shoulder and squeezed it lightly. A line of heat ran down Ace’s back, and he swallowed. He shook it off mentally and forced a smile on his face.

“Ready?” he asked, holding up his heart-shaped apple piece for the camera. The others followed suit and grinned. “Cheese!”

Deuce moved away from him immediately after the picture was taken, but Ace didn’t miss the almost longing way his fingertips slipped off him. The warmth that lingered on his shoulder was distracting, but he focused his attention on his phone screen instead.

“Nice. It turned out great,” he said. As he reviewed the picture, Ace couldn’t help but wonder if it was just his imagination, or if his and Deuce’s smiles were really more awkward and shy compared to the others’.

He didn’t have much time to mull over that thought, however, because Jack promptly held out Ace’s finished drink to him almost immediately afterward. He pocketed his phone and took the drink gratefully. Ace dropped his heart-shaped apple into the cup and watched it float on top of the ice cubes. Tiny bubbles fizzled and popped against the fruit.

Ace took a sip of his drink. Unexpected tartness made a shiver go down his spine, and the fizzy liquid burned his throat as he drank it.

The sound of Deuce’s light and airy laughter reached his ears as he finished his first taste of his drink, and an overwhelming aftertaste of sweetness filled his mouth.

Epel and Jack were called away by their classmates after that, and Ace, Deuce, Yuu, and Grim decided to stop being nuisances and left as well. They spent the rest of their free time wandering about and checking out all the other classes. It looked like every class had gone all-out with decorating, and there were quite a few very impressive rooms.

Once they finished wandering around the hallways and looking at all the indoor setups, they went outside. There was lots to see out on the rest of the campus too, but they eventually found themselves at class 2-E’s activity, namely the outdoors maze Riddle had so proudly talked about before.

The maze itself took up a sizable corner of the sports field, and it somewhat resembled the one back at the Heartslabyul dorm. Instead of rose bushes, however, they were just common, overgrown shrubbery. Curiously enough, there didn’t seem to be a visible entrance, so the four of them approached the table that was set up near the maze instead.

Riddle happened to be the one sitting at the table when they arrived. He watched them as they approached.

“Riddle-senpai!” Ace called out, waving at him.

“Good morning, Rosehearts-senpai!”

“Good morning,” he nodded back from his seat. He looked cool and undisturbed under the shade of the canopy that protected the table from the sun. “It seems like you have been enjoying yourselves,” he said, raising his eyebrows at the number of snacks they were holding between them.

“Hehe! Culture Day only comes once a year, after all!” Ace grinned.

“Hmph. Well, it would do you all good not to overindulge,” Riddle said. “You’ll end up with stomachaches if you eat so much at once.”

“We’ll be careful, Rosehearts-senpai!” Deuce said around half a mouthful of crepe.

Riddle wrinkled his nose. “Don’t speak with your mouth full.”

Deuce ducked his head in apology. “Sorry.”

Riddle gave him a sidelong look and frowned. “In any case,” he continued, “since you’re here already, why not take on our maze? You can challenge your minds as well as walk off that junk food. I was in charge of designing the routes, so you can rest assured that it will be as challenging as it is entertaining.”

“Oh, uh, well…” Ace glanced at the other three, but they all shook their heads subtly. It wasn’t as if they had a solid excuse to leave, and it was hard to turn down Riddle’s offer when he looked so pleased with himself. It was at that moment when Ace realized they probably should have thought things out better before they came over.

“Um… Sure!” Yuu said, deciding to bite the bullet in hopes that they could get things over with as quickly as possible. “How long will it take to get through?”

“Twenty minutes on average,” he said, already preparing some clipboards and pencils for them. He tapped his magical pen on them, and the words “1st Years” appeared on top of the papers like ink seeping through a tissue. “Perhaps up to thirty-five if you get all the questions wrong. Which I hope you four will not.” He held them with his steely gaze.

Ace swallowed. “Of course not! We’ll do our best. Right, guys?”

Deuce, Grim, and Yuu nodded.

“Good. Here are the answer sheets for first-year students. The quiz and stamp stations will display the appropriate questions for you when you approach them, so you just have to find them. You should have no problem getting through the quizzes, provided that you have been paying sufficient attention in your classes.”

“Don’t worry, Riddle-senpai! We’ll be fine together.”

“Great,” Yuu muttered under their breath. “With your powers combined, the three of you will have a grand total of two brain cells now.”

Ace jabbed them in the side. “Excuse you.”

“Urk! I-I’m just stating the truth,” Yuu said, rubbing the spot Ace attacked.

“Well, stop it. You’ll make Deuce cry.” He jerked his chin in Deuce’s direction.

“I’m not going to cry!”

“See? I can hear his voice trembling already.”

“Ace!”

Riddle crossed his arms and leveled them with a stern gaze. “Will you be going in or not?”

All of them quieted down and became meek. “Yes…”

Ace, Deuce, and Yuu obediently took the clipboards Riddle held out to them.

“Good,” Riddle said. He waved his magical pen at the maze. Immediately, the bushes shuddered and wriggled about until a space wide enough for them to step through appeared. At least that answered the question of why there wasn’t a visible entrance to the maze. “Have fun.” Riddle smiled at them as he gestured for them to step inside.

Once they did, the shrubbery wiggled back into place and closed them off from the outside world. The loud hustle and bustle of the festival quieted down immediately, as if they had been enclosed in a jar and someone put the lid on it.

Yuu was the first one to speak. “I really hope there’s an actual exit to this maze…”

“I’m sure there is!” Deuce said confidently. Then, with a lot less conviction, he added, “Probably.”

“Well, nothing’s gonna change if we just stand here and wonder about it. We might as well start walking and looking for those stamp stations Riddle-senpai talked about. Looks like there are seven of them,” he said, frowning as he looked at the paper on his clipboard. All it had was seven empty squares for them to stamp.

“Which way should we go?” Grim asked from his perch atop Yuu’s shoulder. Immediately in front of them were two paths: one that went left and one that went right.

“I don’t think it really matters,” Yuu said, taking a step forward. “I heard there’s a trick to solving these mazes, though. All we have to do is go in a single direction while sticking to the side of the wall. As long as we do that, we’ll eventually be able to reach the exit. In theory, anyway.”

“Not like we have any other better idea, so let’s just go with that,” Ace said.

“Should we just start going right, then?” Deuce placed a gloved hand against the wall of the maze.

“Sure.”

“I wonder if anyone else is in here right now,” Yuu said, looking around them as they started walking.

“Dunno.” Ace took in a deep breath, smelling the earthy scent around them.

“Guess we’ll just have to see.”

The sun was warm on them as they made their way through the maze. It seemed that the theme of it was the Great Seven and their corresponding worlds, so every now and again, they would come across a little magically enchanted diorama embedded in the shrubbery. They helped break the monotony of the maze and were amusing to watch. The four of them spent quite a bit of time just observing the little figurines as they walked around and went about their day in the tiny landscapes they were in.

Before long, they came across the first stamp station. It looked like an elevated booth with a tablet on it. When they got closer to it, the tablet screen roused itself from sleep mode and presented them with a question.

Grim leaned forward eagerly. “What’s the question?”

“‘Which of the following ancient languages were first found in the Land of Pyroxene but was later discovered to have originated from the Valley of Roses?’”

The four of them fell silent.

Ace shifted his weight on his feet. “… Are all the questions going to be like this?”

The struggle, to say the least, was real. The other questions were indeed similarly difficult and covered everything from alchemy to practical mathematics, botany and alchemy. To make things worse, whenever they got a question wrong, they not only had to find the right answer, but they had to answer yet another related question on the subject. Otherwise, the stamps they needed to collect in order to clear the maze wouldn’t materialize for them.

By the time they finished answering the sixth question, all of them were exhausted.

“I just wanna get out of here already,” Grim complained while sadly flopped over Yuu’s shoulder.

“This is really showing me how much harder I have to try in class…” Deuce said, sounding as defeated as he looked. “I can’t believe I didn’t get a single question right…”

“I can,” Ace said, but he was so tired, his voice didn’t have the usual amount of bite in it.

Deuce just choked back a sob in response. Yuu patted him gently on the back.

Suddenly, they reached a split in the maze. More specifically, they entered an area where they were met with two different paths. A signpost between them read “Only two people may enter each path.”

“What kind of weird rule is this…?” Ace cocked an eyebrow and frowned. He peered as far as he could from the entrance of each route, but they looked identical to him. “What’s even stopping us from all going down the same way?”

“Knowing Riddle-senpai, probably magic,” Yuu said.

“We won’t know until we try.” He waved Yuu over to him as he stood in front of one of the paths. Nothing happened. “Guess Grim doesn’t count as a person,” he said with a laugh. Grim huffed and puffed and got patted on the head by Yuu until he settled down. Then, Ace motioned Deuce to join them. Immediately, branches and leaves snaked out from the sides of the entrance and blocked the path. They started retreating when Yuu took a step back. Ace crossed his arms. “Guess you were right.”

“I suppose this means we’ll have to split up for now,” Deuce said, concerned.

“Should we just go with the groups we have now? Unless one of you _really_ wants to team up with Grim,” Yuu teased.

“No thanks,” Ace immediately refused. “And if we left these two dumbasses together, they’ll get stuck in this maze forever,” he said, indicating to Grim and Deuce.

“Rude!”

“Why do you always have to take jabs at me, dammit!”

Yuu laughed. “That’s a good point. Alright, Grim and I will go down this way, then. I hope the paths connect down the road. See you two later!” Yuu waved briefly and walked toward the other route. They disappeared between the shrubbery in no time.

“We should get going too,” Ace said.

The indignant expression on Deuce’s face softened a little. “Yeah.”

It felt awkward walking in silence, but Ace couldn’t think of anything to talk about, so they just went along without saying anything. Deuce’s attention was fully devoted to navigating through the maze, but the same could not be said about Ace. He felt oddly self-conscious and distracted. Maybe it was because he hadn’t been properly alone with Deuce since the night he helped Ace go over his script. It wasn’t as if he had purposefully avoided Deuce, but with all the preparations for the festival and such, they just didn’t have a chance to hang out by themselves.

It was one thing to walk down the hallways side by side between classes, but this was completely different. This was them, literally cut off from the rest of the world and… alone. Ace doubted anything would happen, but he still felt jittery.

Ace glanced out the corner of his eyes and took in Deuce’s profile. He looked so severe with his eyebrows pinched and mouth pulled down. It was a look Ace was familiar with, since it was the same one Deuce always had on during class. Yet no matter how concentrated he appeared, Deuce never seemed to understand what was going on. He wondered if that was the case right now. Ace sincerely hoped not, because he wasn’t paying attention to where they were going at all.

“Oh,” Deuce said, breaking Ace out of his thoughts. “There’s the last question booth.”

At the end of the straight path they were going was, indeed, the last stall. Waiting on it was another tablet in sleep mode.

“Sweet.” Ace picked up his pace and half-jogged to the booth. The second he neared it, the tablet screen turned on and displayed a question for them.

“I hope the last question isn’t too hard,” Deuce said worriedly as he caught up with Ace. “What’s it say?”

Ace stepped aside to let him see.

On the screen, it read, “Question 7: Which of the following punishments was administered by the Queen of Hearts when Rule #150, ‘You shall not enter the rose garden with your right foot first on the third Thursday of each month’ was broken?”

Both of them grinned at each other. They’ve had the same punishment exacted on them so many times already, they didn’t even hesitate before choosing the correct answer.

* * *

After they answered the final question and continued down the path, Ace and Deuce eventually met up with Grim and Yuu again. Apparently, they had received a different question on their side of the maze (“How the heck were _we_ supposed to know how many contracts the Sea Witch had in her collection?!”), but they somehow managed to guess the right thing.

It didn’t take very long before they were able to reach the exit, which magically opened up and led them to the same area they entered from. Riddle greeted them from the table he originally sent them off from and collected their clipboards. They had apparently taken the full estimated time of thirty-five minutes, a fact Riddle was not overly pleased with.

For their troubles and fully completed stamp sheets, each of them got a bottle of soft drink, which they received gratefully. Although it wasn’t exactly hot out, thirty-five minutes of wandering through a maze in the sun had made them all feel a little weary and thirsty.

Since they were done with the maze and had no further business in the sports field, they decided to head back into the school building and find things to do there instead. Just as they made that decision and said goodbye to Riddle, another group of students approached the maze. The four of them could only silently wish the poor unsuspecting souls good luck as they walked away.

“What should we do now?” Deuce asked once they returned to the school building. Their conversation was put on hold as they pushed their way through the crowd of students in the hallway.

“We’ve already gotten all the food and drinks we wanted, so I guess we don’t have to do that anymore,” Ace replied once they grouped up again.

“We still haven’t checked out the haunted house Cater-senpai’s class put on. The line was too long earlier, but maybe it’s died down by now.” Yuu flattened themselves against the wall to squeeze past some people.

Ace nodded. “That’s probably the last thing we can do before we need to head to the gym.”

“Is it? I’m so glad to hear that… Ace-chan.”

A familiar voice floated coolly to him from behind, and Ace turned around instinctively. “Hey, Cater-senp—AAAUGH!”

His scream made the people around them turn to look at him, and Ace covered his mouth with his hands.

“Whoa!” Deuce took a step back when he saw Cater hovering behind Ace’s shoulder.

“Ack!” Yuu recoiled, and Grim bristled at the sight.

“Ahaha! Nice reactions!” Cater said, nonplussed at their yelling. He snapped pictures of their shocked faces and tucked his phone away.

His hair, which was usually sleek and shiny, was tangled and matted with rusty red clumps, and his face was pale and bruised. The most shocking part of his appearance, besides his tattered clothing, were his eyes. His right eye appeared to have been gouged out and bleeding and his left eye literally glowed.

Upon closer inspection, it was clear everything was just makeup and magic, but seeing him without warning was a shock.

“That was refreshing! Oh, to be young and easily impressionable!” He twisted some of his frizzy hair between his fingers out of habit.

“Y-You’re only two years older than us,” Ace said, patting his chest to calm his heart down. “Anyway, damn, that scared the crap out of me. How is your eye… like that?” He asked, his expression mixed between disgust and fascination.

“Hehe! It’s cool, right? This is actually just gauze that’s been dipped in fake blood! They stuck it on my face and added a bunch of other stuff to it to make it look all gory. This one,” he pointed to his glowing left eye, “is a cool contact lens Idia-kun made!”

“Wow, you guys really went all-out,” Yuu said, tilting their head and trying to get a closer look at Cater’s makeup and costume.

“We sure did! You should really come by and check out what we did with our classroom, too. C’mon, let’s go now!” He started herding them in the direction of his class without waiting for their responses.

In no time, they were in front of 3-B and facing yet another Cater.

“Ooh, good job, Me! You found them!” the Cater manning the front door said cheerfully. He had the same makeup and costume on as his copy.

“No problem, Me!”

“You were a copy?! Or… I don’t know, maybe you’re the original?” Ace said, looking at the Cater who just escorted them to the classroom.

“Actually, I’m the real one!” Cater-in-front-of-the-door said with a grin and peace sign.

Deuce looked between the two Caters and frowned. “I really can’t tell the difference…”

“No worries about that! No one’s supposed to tell, anyway! In any case, enough chitchat. You guys are here for the haunted house, yeah?”

Cater-who-escorted-them gave them a quick wave and ran into the classroom, presumably to take up his post inside the attraction. The remaining Cater—the original—smiled and waved them over.

“You said this will be your last activity before you have to get ready for your play, right? I’m glad you could make it! Getting through everything won’t take very long, so have fun!” He gestured grandiosely at the door of his classroom and bowed with a wink.

After being hit by Hurricane Cater twice in quick succession, the four of them felt frazzled, but they followed Cater’s instructions. Their flustered confusion completely froze over the second they stepped into class 3-B.

The room must have been magically silenced because, even though they could still see the bright hallway when they turned around, all the voices and sounds from outside were inaudible. Instead, a low electric whine and an unsettling rustling that seemed to brush across the back of their necks filled their ears.

“So… this is the level third-year students are on,” Deuce said in wonder as he looked around them.

Even though they logically knew they were just in a regular classroom, it felt like they had wandered into a damp swamp at night. Dark curtains draped from the ceiling obscured their vision with varying degrees of gauzy opacity, and their only sources of light were the orbs of blue flames flickered unreliably above them.

“… You go first, Deuce,” Ace said, shoving him on the shoulder until he stumbled ahead.

“Wh-What? Why me? Not that I’m scared or anything.” Deuce gritted his teeth and balked. “If anything, shouldn’t Yuu be the one leading us? They literally live with ghosts.”

“Excuse you,” Yuu said, “I know we live in the Ramshackle Dorm, but exactly how rundown do you think our place is?”

“Yeah, don’t be rude, Deuce,” Ace added in, just to be an asshole. “Besides, don’t you want to be our knight in shining armor and protect us or whatever?”

“Protect…”

Deuce’s eyes started shining, and that’s when Ace, Grim, and Yuu knew they had a sucker.

“Alright!” he exclaimed, bringing his fist to his chest. “I’ll be our leader!”

“Yay,” Ace said, completely deadpanned, “our hero.”

Once they got Deuce to lead the way, they started slowly shuffling down the path. Despite being a student-made haunted house, it was incredibly high spec. It probably helped that Idia was part of 3-B, which would explain why the sound and light effects were so professional.

The first few obstacles they went through weren’t too bad. Stringy cotton pulled across the narrow path clung to their skin like cobwebs, and the occasional rattle of chains from hidden speakers made their hair rise on end. Since nothing particularly outstanding was happening, they let their guards down.

Until Cater—or rather, one of Cater’s copies—shot up from his hiding spot behind a desk and slammed his hands noisily against the surface, groaning and clawing at them from his self-induced prison. Grim was the one who screeched the loudest at the sudden jump-scare, followed by Yuu because Grim’s yowl caught them off guard. Ace instinctively grabbed Deuce and shoved him in front of him for protection, and Deuce was so startled, he silently froze on the spot.

The “attack” was brief, and Cater almost immediately slid back into his hiding spot, his shoulders shaking in silent laughter.

“… Holy crap,” Ace said, one hand patting his chest and the other still bunched tightly on the back of Deuce’s blazer jacket.

“… Let’s walk a little faster,” Yuu said after a moment.

Deuce nodded silently.

They pushed on, and the farther they got in the haunted house, the more frequent the jump-scares became.

Once, when they passed by what looked like a regular glass wall, it suddenly lit up to reveal (yet another) Cater standing ominously still and tracking them with his one visible eye. Another time, a third Cater scared them by bursting through a curtain of metal chains. And yet another time, they turned a corner only to nearly run straight into Cater (again) as he stood stock-still in front of them.

“Are you serious?! Are you freakin’ serious! How many copies of yourself did you even make?” Ace exclaimed after they managed to squeeze by Cater (the Fourth) and hurry down the path. “Are you literally the only one in this place?”

He got his answer immediately when a 3-B student who _wasn’t_ Cater lunged at them, revving a chainless chainsaw, and the four of them ran away, screaming.

* * *

“Hey, guys!” Cater chirped happily when he saw the four of them stagger out the exit of the classroom. “You made it! Did you have fun?”

“No,” Ace croaked immediately, looking extremely worn out.

Deuce was also paler than usual, and Grim still looked like a puffball. Yuu appeared constipated.

“Haha! Aww, that’s what everyone keeps saying, but I know you guys did.” Cater casually snapped another picture of their wilted forms and grinned.

“Why do you guys have to go so hard? First it was Riddle-senpai’s impossible maze and quizzes, and now it’s your extra as hell haunted house…” Ace rubbed his forehead and sighed. “And we didn’t even try to get near to Trey-senpai’s class, but just seeing the sea of people trying to line up was horrific enough…”

“Go big or go home, right?” Cater said with a wink. “Anyway, isn’t it about time you guys got to the gym or something?”

“Oh crap, yeah.” Ace checked the time on his phone and frowned. “We should get there in time if we head over now. C’mon, guys.” Before he left, he turned around and furrowed his eyebrows. “Er, thanks for the, uh…” Ace failed to find the words he wanted to use and ended up waving his hand abstractly toward the classroom turned haunted house instead. “Experience?”

Cater laughed. “No prob! Have fun and break a leg!”

* * *

“Okay! We made it on time!” Ace said in a loud undertone as they snuck into the gym via the back door. Another class was up on stage holding some sort of show at the moment, so backstage was in a state of hushed disorder. There were already people from their class running around and prepping things, even though they had arrived about ten minutes early.

“Good, you guys are here!” the class president said quietly when he spotted the four of them. “Go ahead and start getting ready, Trappola. The other actors are getting changed now. And Spade, can you go check in with the construction team? They were having trouble with one of the stands the last time I checked.”

“Yes, sir!” Deuce said, nodding firmly and starting to walk. Then he stopped, turned around, and loudly whispered, “Good luck, you three!”

“Yeah, sure,” Ace said, waving lazily at him.

“We’d better get going too. Let’s get you into costume,” Yuu said.

“Gotcha.” Ace grinned. The ball was finally rolling.

In the back of his mind, Ace wondered if his family had arrived yet. Not that he had time to check, but he hoped they were.

* * *

“Five minutes to curtain!”

Ace looked up from his script. He and his fellow co-stars were standing in the wings of the stage, waiting to get into place. The previous class had only vacated the stage fifteen minutes ago, which meant they had a very short amount of time to actually prepare the stage for the first scene. Thankfully, the construction team had practiced setting up the stage multiple times before and, after swooping in the second the last show cleared out, managed to prepare everything in almost no time.

Once final adjustments were done, Ace put his script aside and looked around the cast. They all looked equally nervous and excited.

“Here’s the moment of truth, you guys!” their director slash scriptwriter said with a grin. “You’ve got this!”

Ace laughed. “Heh. It’d be a problem if we don’t at this point.”

The others snickered at that.

“ _Class 1-A’s performance will begin shortly. Please take this time to silence all cell phones, watches, and other devices that may make noise during the show. Video recording and photography is allowed, but we ask you to please refrain from…_ ”

The voice over the speakers made them all jump, and they laughed again at their own jitteriness.

“Okay,” their director said. “That’s your cue. Eryolle and Finrel, get into position!”

Ace looked at his co-star and nodded silently. Both of them used their magical pens to cast a voice amplifying spell on themselves before walking on stage. His classmate stayed a few paces away from Ace and kneeled down, but Ace stood squarely in the center of the stage and stared at the thick curtain in front of him.

There were less than five minutes before the curtain would be drawn and the play would start. All their hard work was about to be tested now, but he felt confident. The adrenaline buzzing through his body made his heart beat fast, but it wasn’t a bad feeling. He found that he kind of liked it.

“ _In a kingdom that seems too perfect rests a secret too heavy for it to bear._ ”

The words of the narrator rang over the speakers clearly, and Ace clenched and unclenched his hands as he listened.

_“For generations, the reigning royal family kept the guise of its perfection from its people and allowed them to live in ignorant bliss. For those who did not know, it was a true blessing. But for those who did, it was naught but a curse._

_“A curse that one boy tried to bear on his own. But how could a boy shoulder a weight too heavy even for an entire kingdom to carry? How could a boy, no matter his strength and magic powers, handle such a burden without breaking under the pressure and slipping away?_

_“Perhaps,”_ the narrator continued, his voice laden with import, as the curtains shivered with effort and lifted from the floor of the stage, _“his fate had already been decided before our story even begins.”_

Light streamed in from the gap between the curtains and the stage. Ace’s eyes stayed trained on the hem of the only thing separating him from the audience. Once the curtain reached the approximate height of his chest, however, he lifted his chin and kept his gaze forward.

Slowly, slowly, the curtain went up until the hot stage lights poured over him and blinded him. He blinked and stared out at the audience seats. This was just a simple school play, not some high-end production, so of course it wasn’t a full house, but that didn’t matter. His eyes quickly scanned the rows until he glimpsed his family sitting near the front, camera set up on a tri-pod and all. Ace clenched his jaw tightly to repress a smile.

The curtain was fully up now, but Ace didn’t speak immediately. Instead, he took a second to absorb the moment. He took in the impatient itchiness hanging in the air, the thumping of his heart in his chest, and the way the audience watched him.

It was as if the entire world was holding its breath for him. They were all waiting for him to break the silence and drown them in the fantasy world they came to see. He had no idea the stillness of the stage would feel so weighty and significant.

Ace drew air into his lungs and let it settle in there. It was time. He needed to break the spell and let time flow again.

He parted his lips and drew in another breath.

This was it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so remember how back in Chapter 3 Cater gave Ace a cool makeover? In case you were wondering what he actually looks like all prettied up, wonder no more! I actually commissioned my good friend, [Mystic](https://twitter.com/mystic514/), to draw him with that makeup on, [so feast your eyes here](https://twitter.com/misu_rkgk/status/1274714354626236417?s=19)! He's so gorgeous...
> 
> I tried to add some humor into this chapter, so let me know if it at least made you chuckle or something. :'-D
> 
> Anyway, you know the drill. I'm on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/algidwind) all day, every day, in case you were wondering.


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